I'm Coming Back to You
by Rainbow Stardust
Summary: Ever wonder why it took Zidane a year to get back to Garnet? What I think... Progress: 15th chapter
1. Prologue

I'm Coming Back To You

Prologue

Disclaimer: What belongs to Square/soft: All the wonderful video games, etc that they make like Final Fantasy IX. And a lot of money. What belongs to me: A stick of bubble gum, a pet hamster, and twenty-five cents. Any questions?

AN: For some reason, I was sitting in my room thinking about shoes and ships and sealing wax and cabbages and kings, when suddenly I had a marvelous idea. Why not write a fanfiction about Final Fantasy IX? It was such a terrific idea I jumped off my bed and ran to my computer. ^.^

I really have no idea what inspired this...but I really have no idea what inspires any of my work. This story will, in a nutshell, be about how Zidane gets back to Dagger, and what he does before the play where he made his grand entrance. I mean, it did take a couple of years or so. Most people say he got back at around 19, which is a reasonable judgement considering Dagger grew her hair back. Mostly, the reason I write fics is to write down what I think of the questions in the game left unanswered, so I was gonna write a fic about how Vivi came to have children when he's only 9, or what did Freya do with Fratley's amnesia (and how he got it)...but then I thought, "What the heck, wouldn't starting with something like this be easier?"

     _What am I doing here? It's so dark. I can't see myself. I can't...I can't even feel myself. My body! What happened to my body? I can't move...there's nothing to move. I don't have an arm, or a leg. Am I dead? No, I don't want to die. Not yet. I want to see Dagger again. Dagger..._

     [Zidane.]

     _...Kuja?_

     [Yes.]

     _Where are we?_

     [We are in the darkness in which souls stay that have not yet departed into the afterlife.]

     _Where's my body?_

     [In the Iifa Tree, of course. In a sense, you are dead.]

     _No! I can't be dead! I have to get back to Dagger!_

     [...]

     _Kuja! How can I get back?_

     [*very exhausted sigh*]

     _I need to get back..._

     [I'm sorry. You shouldn't have come back to get me.]

     _It's not your fault. I should've been quicker..._

     [Zidane...I want to thank you. For forgiving me, even after all that I did.]

     _...I guess if I was in your shoes, I would've done it, too._

     [Still, because of you, I've learned what it means to live. I also want to thank you for stopping me...I've realized that life is precious, and I'm glad I didn't get to carry out what I planned. And I want to help you get back.]

     _You know how?_

     [Yes. But it's either you or me. I'd rather it be you...everyone on Gaia despises me anyway.]

     _Not everyone..._

     [Who doesn't, then?]

     _There might be people willing to forgive._

     [No. You go. I deserve to die.]

     _But..._

     [You have something to live for. I don't. So I shall help send you back. Promise me, Zidane, you will do something good with your second chance. Live well with your canary and be happy. Keep Gaia at peace. Be...the Angel of Life.]

     _I'll do it for you, Kuja._

     [...]

     _Kuja?_

     [...]

     _Thank you, Kuja._

     [...]

     _I promise._

     _Purple light. Surrounding me. Engulfing me. Swallowing me. More light. It's getting brighter and brighter. It's turning white._

     _I am with the light._

     _I am in the light._

     _I am the light._

AN: Don'tcha hate Prologues? *sighs* Nothing interesting so far. Oh well. I'll have the next chapter up, soon. Maybe.

Hey...where are you going? NO!! DON'T GO BACK TO THE OTHER FANFICTIONS OUT THERE THAT ARE GREATER THAN MINE! REVIEW!!! REVIEW!!!!!


	2. Determination

I'm Coming Back To You

Chapter 1- Determination

Disclaimer: *sniff* I *wail* don't *sob* own *sob sob* Final *sob* Fantasy *howl* Nine *sniff*. Just so you know, I don't own it's song, "Melodies of Life", either. I just wanted to throw it in here, 'cuz Zidane needs a little comfort. *sniff* Poor Ziddy.

AN: Ooh, first chapter. A little more into the story. I've decided to make this a Zidane/Garnet fic. That means I'll switch POVs between the two in the chapters. But you'll only know who's POV it is unless you've got some common sense or you read my long and boring ANs. ^.^ In this chapter, it's Zidane's POV, but I guess it's pretty obvious. (Also, if you didn't know, POV is "Point of View". I guess I'm known for stating the obvious…maybe I'll get an award or something.) I also have a key because usually the italicization doesn't work when I upload the darned thing, and plus you need to know the difference between a word that's just being emphasized and a thought. OK, I'll let you read now.

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     Pain.

     Pain. So much pain.

     Pain. It hurts.

     Pain.

     /Where am I?/ I sat up and immediately winced. I clutched my side, and doubled over. /Ooh…it __hurts_…/ Gingerly, I felt around with my fingers and located a small bump in my skin. /Great. I must've broken some ribs. One or two, likely./ My head also throbbed, and I realized it was oozing blood. /Can't get any worse than this./ Unfortunately, as I stood up, I found that I was wrong. /Ugh. Even a sprained ankle. How'm I gonna get out of here?/_

     I limped a few steps forward and tumbled over something. Letting out a small cry of frustration, I propped myself back up and struggled to clear away the dirt to reveal…a body. The lifeless body of my brother(in a sense), Kuja. The one who had chosen to save me, instead of him. He would have called it his one and only act of selflessness.

     With a grimace, and a great deal of effort, I managed to drag him to the corner of the small enclosure that served as my prison, and buried him in a shallow hole. "Rest well. I hope you go somewhere and be happy…I hope you actually get to live. You never got a chance in this life." Then I rose to my feet and surveyed my surroundings. Hmm. A lot of roots and dirt. That was just about it. I began to take inventory of what little supplies I still had. There was my Ultima Weapon (a miracle it wasn't harmed), my clothes, my intellect (*grin*), and a Gysahl Pickle. I chewed thoughtfully on the pickle and began to wonder what I was supposed to do next.

     Well, I had to get out of the stupid tree first. I finished up the pickle and unsheathed my Ultima Weapon, feeling a little dizzy. Maybe I could chop my way out…I slashed at the roots and earthen walls before me, but it only caused more and more dirt to fall on top of me. /I'm gonna have to stop,/ I thought grimly, replacing my blade, /before I bury myself. No good in doing that./ I wanted to get back to Dagger. And anyway, Kuja had given me a second chance, and I wasn't about to spoil it by doing something wholly ridiculous.

     "If only Kuja didn't have to give up his second chance," I said to myself, and then the pain, which had been nagging me ever since I woke up, overtook me. I gasped and sat down…on something hard, like glass. I reached down and picked it up, then nearly jumped for joy. A Hi-Potion! It must've tumbled from my pocket when the roots shifted and I fell. I uncorked the bottle and raised it to my lips, sipping the healing concoction and restoring energy into my body. Suddenly my head stopped aching and it didn't hurt to breathe anymore. I grinned, satisfied, and scanned the floor for any other lost treasures. Nope, none.

     Now I could take my mind off the pain and think about what to do. I took out my weapon again and leaned against a root. There was no way out…

     Anger burned inside me. Frustration. Discouragement. In a sudden burst of outrage, I drove my Ultima Weapon into the root I was resting on, yelling out. Everything stilled. The room had always been silent, but now it was worse. I stood, breathing hard. Then I sighed. It did no good to get mad. Anger was not my way out. I shook my head and tried to calm myself. What made me feel good? Of course…Dagger. Dagger, my beloved Dagger. We had been through a lot together, and though I had not really told her, straight out, "I love you", I did, and with all my heart. I wondered if she loved me back.

     I felt a wave of happiness and bliss wash over me, just imagining her face, her gorgeous smiling face, giving me support. And so, taking a deep breath, I sang:

Alone for a while, I've been searching through the dark

For traces of the love you left inside my lonely heart

To weave by picking up the peaces that remain

Melodies of life—love's lost refrain

Our paths they did cross, though I cannot say just why

We met, we laughed, we held on fast, and then we said good-bye

And who'll hear the echoes of stories never told?

Let them ring out loud 'til they unfold

     As the last notes died away, I hung my head and licked my lips. Now I missed Dagger so much that it hurt. But, at least I had managed to strengthen my resolve. I __will_  get back to Dagger, and everyone else. Not just for me, but for Kuja, and the whole of Gaia. For Dagger. Turning to my Ultima Weapon, I yanked it out of the root with a new determination._

     /I'm coming back to you, Dagger. Will you wait for me?/

     I paused. Of course she'd wait. It's not like she'd go and find another boyfriend before I get back, would she…? I shook my head. "No! She'll wait. I'm coming, Dagger, I'm coming."

     Suddenly, the root beside me moved. I gasped and stumbled backwards, landing on my rear with a thud. The plant began to writhe and shift, showering a new layer of soil onto me. I shook it off and out of my hair and lap, then jumped up to avoid an oncoming root. /What's happening?!/

     A hole in the side of my prison burst open, revealing the blazing sunlight. I shielded my eyes and ducked another root, then tried to scramble up and over the roots to get to the hole. Taking one last glance at my brother's body, I took a mightly leap and tumbled out into the open. A great rumbling noise. I looked up to see the Iifa Tree moving, pulsing, as if it were alive. In a sense it was…but shouldn't it have died with Kuja? And the crystal…

     Remembering my peril, I dodged another growth and slipped. The ground in front of me split open and I was pushed toward it so that my face hung over the fissure. Trying not to fall in was a difficult task. I leaped to my feet—ignoring the pain in my side which had now returned—and rolled sideways, blindly, and my head hit something hard.

     The world went black.

     /Dagger./

AN: Doesn't Zidane seem a little obsessed with Dagger here? Well, I know he is and everything, but he doesn't seem to a give a potato wedge about anyone else. Well, sure, he said stuff about Kuja maybe, but that doesn't count __that_ much. *Kuja's theme starts to play* *R_Stardust whacks Black Licorice Chocobo Sweetie, her cousin, on the head and screams, "I knew I'd regret printing out the piano notes of that song for you!"* Oh, remember to REVIEW. Now that you've actually got something to review about (some prologues are so vague there's nothing to write except, "That was nice, keep on going"), I wanna hear from you!!! 'Cuz I'll stop writing if ya don't. Well, I'll keep writing, but I won't post my work…if no one likes it. SO TELL ME YOU LIKE IT. If you don't, TELL ME THAT, TOO. But tell me what I'm doing wrong, because if you don't, I won't know how to fix it. Contstructive criticizm, please! (Don't just say, "It sucks." Say something like, "I can't understand what you're saying, you don't describe it well enough." ^.- But be nice!)_

Ja ne, minna-san! Until next time!


	3. Believe

I'm Coming Back to You

Chapter 2-Believe

Disclaimer: If you're really really smart, you'd know that FF9, or any of its related content, does not belong to me.

AN: Second chapter up, people! Guess who's POV it is this time? Garnet's. Yeah. The Queen of Alexandria. This girl has three names (Sara, Garnet, Dagger) and two of them don't even have a known surname. (Wait…didn't Sara have one? I forget…) The other one is so long it can only be given to royalty: Queen Garnet Til Alexandros XVII. If I had a name like that, I'd tell people to just call me Dagger, too. ^.^

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     A hero. That's what he was to Gaia, wasn't he? A hero. He had saved them from total destruction. He had helped the Terran inhabitants. He had even forgiven his worst enemy.

     A hero. For the citizens of Alexandria, of Lindblum, of Burmecia, he would be a hero. But…for me? He's more than a hero. He's a…

     "Your Majesty?" __Clank, clank, clank.__

     I turned in my seat. "Yes, Steiner?"

     "Are you still worrying about…him…?"

     I turned back to the window and closed my eyes, letting the morning breeze rustle my hair and flow over my face and features. I did not answer.

     "Your Highness…"

     "Please, Steiner. I'm fine. You're more concerned of me than I am of Zidane." It was difficult to say his name. It was like the very word stuck in my throat, and it came out as a croak. I coughed and wiped a tear from my eye. Zidane…

     There was another clank behind me as Steiner took a step forward. "Queen Garnet, Beatrix has scanned the whole area of the Iifa Tree. There is no way to get in, therefore there is no way to get out. I don't think he could have—"

     My reply was a whisper. "No, Steiner, do not say that. Is he not the very Zidane that can do the impossible? Who can make the best out of every situation? I will not believe that he is dead. Not until I see his body. If I do not, I will think him alive until my very last days." It surprised myself as much as it startled my Captain. Could I really do that? "Please return to your duties."

     Steiner looked blank for a moment. The corners of his mouth curved down in sorrow. "Yes, Your Majesty." He bowed and left, his rusty armor announcing his arrival into the next room.

     "Zidane…it's almost been a week." I subconciously reverted back to common tongue. "Why don't you come back to me? What's taking you? I miss you, Zidane. I wanna see you again. Do you love me? I love you. I love you more than you can imagine." Tears sprang to my eyes. I quickly wiped them away. "Zidane…" I murmured. A dove flew towards me and landed on my windowsill. It was a dazzling white, white as the clouds that hovered above. It made a quiet "cooing" sound, and I smiled.

     "Little bird, I will sing for you," I declared.

In my dearest memories, I see you reaching out to me

Though you're gone, I still believe that you can call out my name

A voice from the past joining yours and mine

Adding up the layers of harmony

And so it goes, on and on

Melodies of life-to the sky beyond the flying birds

Forever and beyond.

     Satisfied with the mini-concert, the dove let out another soft, "coo" and flew away. I watched it go, then folded my arms on the sill and lay my head on it. It was a very un-royal position, but I couldn't think correctly if I was constantly trying to be lady-like.

     Closing my eyes, I let the sunlight rest on my face, bathing me in its warmth. And then I heard it.

     /I'm coming back to you, Dagger. Will you wait for me?/

     I sat up, my eyes wide. "Zidane? Is that you?" I said aloud. There was no reply. "Zidane?" I tried again. "Zidane…" Nothing. And then…

     /I'm coming, Dagger, I'm coming./

     /So, Zidane is alive!/ I rejoiced inwardly. /And he's coming back to me!/ Peace wove itself into my heart. I sighed contentedly. /I'll wait, Zidane. I'll wait./

-0-0-0-0-0-

     "Come in."

     The door opened to reveal General Beatrix, her Save the Queen slung over her back as usual. "Your Majesty. We have news of the search for Sir Zidane."

     Sir Zidane. No, that didn't fit him. I smiled. "Have you found him?"

     She skillfully avoided answering the question directly. "We've found a large hole in the side of the Iifa Tree. It appears to have been…moving. We looked inside."

     "Did you find Zidane?" I asked hopefully.

     "We found Kuja's body," she replied evasively.

     I nodded. "We can have a burial for him…I suppose…I haven't really forgiven him completely, but Zidane would be pleased to hear we had a funeral."

     "We did not take the body out," Beatrix informed. "It seemed buried, enough. It was in a shallow pit with dirt covering it. It was a sort of messy funeral. Perhaps Zidane did it himself?"

     "Where is Zidane?" I demanded. "You're not answering me!"

     She pursed her lips. "We did not find him."

     "What? Then…where could he be?"

     Beatrix shrugged. "We guessed that he would be in the ruins of Madain Sari, or Conde Petie. But when we looked they said they hadn't seen him. We even looked in the Black Mage Village, but he wasn't there either."

     Anxiety was thick in my tone as I queried, "Did you check __everywhere__?"

     She nodded solemnly. "I sent Alexandrian troops as scouts throughout the surrounding area, but they all came back without any news. No one who lived nearby had seen anything, either." She frowned. "I don't know where he could be, if he is alive or dead."

     But I knew that he was alive. Just yesterday he talked to me. Told me that he was coming back to me. "He's alive. Thank you, Beatrix. Will you still not let me go look myself?"

     A faint smile played on her lips. "No, Your Highness."

     "Thank you, again. Finding him…it means a lot to me."

     "I understand."

     "You're the best, Beatrix. Go ahead and go back to whatever you were doing."

     "Your Majesty?" she coughed.

     I pouted, but I smiled. "Fine. General, you are dismissed."

     She bowed low, then walked off, flinging her bouncing curls over her shoulder as she strode out of the room.

AN: Whoa, this one's long. Dagger's obsessed with Zidane, too. ^.^ I don't blame her for worrying. Still wondering where Zid is? Find out in the next chapter. *ooh* Gosh, I keep using the song. I mean, it's a nice song and everything, but I know that you're getting bored of it, 'cuz I've used it too much. Well, too bad. I'm gonna use it a lot from now on, so get used to the damn song. ^.^ I wonder what Zidane sounds like when he sings. I hope his voice isn't squeaky like Tidus's in FF10. No offense to whoever does his voice… @.@ Hehe. Must be going through those changes, huh? (I LOVE FF10! You get to switch people in battle! When I finally get around to finishing the game, I might write a fanfic about that, too.) Anyway…before you go, I need you to do two things…

1. REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!

2. REMIND YOURSELF TO COME BACK TO READ THE NEXT CHAPTERS!!!


	4. Confusion

I'm Coming Back to You

Chapter 3-Confusion

Disclaimer: Guess what? Yeah, you guessed it. The game does not belong to me. If it did, I wouldn't be writing FANfiction, would I? Y.Y

AN: Thanx to everyone who's had a heart big enough to review my fic! You make me feel so special. *sniff* *wipes tear* It inspires me to write more...so here's your next chapter. ^.^ From here on out, things will eventually get more and more confusing. I'll try to clear it up as much as I go. I'll throw in a couple new characters and try as hard as I can to develop them to the point that you can understand. If you don't get something, just ask. I'll try to help. 

Key: _..._ emphasize (italicize)

     /.../ thoughts

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     "Hey, are you alright? Wake up."

     Ouch. My head hurt. My whole body hurt. Still, the voice pressed on.

     "You're moving. Wake up. Open your eyes."

     A girl's voice. Soft and gentle. I groaned, stirred, and cracked open my eyelids.

     "Had a nice nap?" It was a girl, about my age. She seemed pleased that I was awake. Her brown hair was long and straight, let loose to fall about her slim shoulders, framing her round face. She smiled warmly, her emerald eyes gleaming in relief. "I'd've thought you were gone for good, if you hadn't been breathing, just barely. Seems you hit your head on this rock and nearly got torn up by some gigantic weeds."

     A rock? Gigantic weeds? I sat up slowly and rubbed the sore spot at my temples. I remembered a tree...a great big magical tree that attacked me, sort of...I moaned and decided to lie down again. "Where am I?"

     "In my house," she replied. "In the middle of the forest."

     Something blinked in my mind, but I didn't quite catch it. /I can't remember anything.../ 

     "What's your name?" she inquired politely. "I'm Zeithi."

     I stared at her blankly. "I don't know."

     She raised an eyebrow. "You don't know your own name?"

     I clutched my head suddenly. "It hurts. It hurts. Who am I?"

     She suddenly frowned. "Maybe you have amnesia."

     "I can't remember anything!" I growled in frustration. My own stomach growled back at me.

     Zeithi giggled. Her laughter sounded like bells. "You're hungry, aren't you? Here, let me get you some broth."

     I watched her go, then lay back down. I had forgotten everything. My name...what was my name? Zid...Zid. That's all I could remember. There was supposed to be another syllable, but everytime I nearly had it, it slipped out of my grasp. Well, Zid is good enough.

     Who, indeed, am I? Reaching beneath the covers, I discovered my tail and decided it was my unique feature. After all, that girl didn't have one. /What's her name? It starts with a Z too...Zeithi. She is kinda cute...ugh. Why am I thinking like that, when I have more important things to worry about?/

     Zeithi returned with the bowl and watched patiently while I ate it. "It's good," I complimented, handing the empty item back to her.

     "Thank you." She regarded me curiously for a moment. "Are you sure you don't remember your name? Or anything at all?"

     I shrugged. "All I can remember is Zid. My name is Zid-something."

     "Zid...it will have to do for now."

     "What part of the forest are we in?"

     "Oh, we're fairly deep in. No one comes in this far."

     "You've been living like this all your life?"

     "Well, sometimes I drop by Conde Petie. Do you remember what Conde Petie is?"

     I bit my lip. Conde Petie... "Rally ho?" I said tentatively. I wasn't actually sure what I was saying; it was the first thing that came to my mind when I tried to think of it.

     She laughed. Again, the twinkling bells. "Yes. Rally ho. The greeting you must say to enter." She glanced at the twitching golden tail. "Do you remember how you got that?"

     "Uhh...I was probably born with it," I scratched the back of my neck nervously. She asked personal questions, and I didn't even properly know the answers.

     "I've seen summoners with horns, but you're pretty normal, save for the tail."

     I looked up at her. "Summoners?"

     "Yes. They are a special tribe of people capable of calling eidolons, which are powerful beasts. They disappeared when I was a little girl. I didn't live around here back then. I have only seen one since moving here. She was very small, and had purple hair and wings. But she seems to have gone away, too."

     Purple hair and wings...a sudden image of a 6-year-old that fit her descriptions flashed in my mind. She grinned and waved, then disappeared. But I couldn't recall her name. I could only think of a moogle, transforming, becoming a gigantic creature. "Madeen," I said aloud, involuntarily.

     "What?" she said.

     "Madeen," I repeated, hopeful that she might recognize it. But she shook her head. I sighed.

     "Don't worry. It could be just temporary amnesia."

     "My head is hurting again," I moaned.

     She helped me lie back down again, and murmured, "It is time to rest. You are very tired." And she began to sing a lullaby in a sweet, soft voice.

Sleep well, sleep tight

Sweet dreams as you sleep tonight

The sun and moon dance in harmony

The stars sing their heavenly song

Love, joy, peace to you

Shine brighter as we sing along

Sleep well, sleep tight

Sweet dreams as you sleep tonight

     My eyelids drooped. My head throbbed painfully and I gave in to the comfort of sleep.

                                                            -0-0-0-0-0-

     It was dark. Very dark. /Where am I?/ Suddenly, someone struck a match. The light leaped out in all directions, illuminating faintly a large, wooden room, with a table in the middle, and a boy. A boy who looked strangely like...hey. That was MY hair. MY eyes. MY tail. Who was that boy? "Who are you?" I tried to say, but I couldn't speak. I couldn't even see myself. I only saw the boy.

     The boy. Three more people came into the room. A man with a red scarf around his head. Another man with flaming orange hair and a belt that mysteriously covered his eyes. And...a strange creature. Short and brown.

     The boy greeted the other three. I could not hear what they were saying. Why not? I wanted to. Somehow, I felt these people knew something about me. At least my name! But I couldn't tell from the moving of their lips what was being said.

     Someone leaped in the midst of the men. A dragon! Or rather, a creature with a dragon's head. The four men drew their swords and daggers. They and the dragon began a fight. I watched them in awe. Something was familiar about that boy. But, he couldn't be me, could he? I was here, in the forest with Zeithi, and not with four men battling a dragon. Was that something of the past? Or something of the future?

     The dragon pulled off its head which was a mask and showed a big fat man who grinned. A moment later he was addressing the other men, explaining. I watched him carefully. The only words I could make out was "play" and "princess" and "kid"-something. Then the men rose and made their way out of the room. The last one, the short and brown one who looked strange, went over to the lighted candle and blew it out.

     Darkness.

     Darkness.

     "Wake up!"

AN: That's it for now. Some new info stuff, huh? FYI, "Zeithi" is Greek for "live!" or something like that. If I'm wrong, correct me. Anyway, I don't think that matters much to the story. (It's actually spelled zêta êta thêta iota, or ? ? ? ?) Hehe, our little hero will be "Zid" for a while. I mean, it's not interesting if I dished out all this info to him at once, especially the first time we find he remembers very little. Ehhh...anyway, the lullaby is one that my sis thought up. *sigh* It's got nice lyrics though, it just doesn't work with her voice...*ducks a tomato and blows raspberry to Chailyn* aaaanyway, keep on reviewing!!! (That's what those long purple buttons that say "Submit a Review" down at the bottom are for!)


	5. Controversy

I'm Coming Back to You

Chapter 4-Controversy

Disclaimer: *innocently pretends to have amnesia like poor "Zid"* What? What? What do you mean, disclaimer? I don't know what you're talking about! *Square/soft pounds R_Stardust on the head and yells "I WANT THE CREDIT THAT I DESERVE!!!"*

AN: Chapter 4. Yes, chapter 4. I can hardly believe it myself. Finally got this thing moving. O_o Oh, yeah, Konnichiwa. Hello. Bonjour. Salutations. Hola. Aloha. Wuzzup?! Wherever and whenever you are, greetings from me, Rainbow Stardust. I'm trying to alternate between Zidane POVs and Garnet POVs, but I may not be able to be consistent for long. Oh, well. As long as I get the story done. If you have any complaints as to whether or not Zidane and Dagger have an uneven amount of chapters in their name, post it up as a review. Wait, no-read this chapter first! Then tell me what you think of it. Go on, read!

Key: _..._ emphasize (italicize)

     /.../ thoughts

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     "General, any luck?"

     I twitched at the pain in her voice. "I'm afraid not. No one has seen him, Your Majesty. We've searched everywhere, and even put up some signs. Nothing has turned up yet." I hung my head. Zidane wasn't in the Iifa Tree, so where could he be? /Maybe he's trying to find his way to me,/ I thought, then sighed. /Don't hold on to any false hopes, Garnet./

     "He's coming back!" A defiant voice declared beside me, as if reading my mind. I looked down to see the reassuring face of Eiko Carol. She was grinning confidently. "He's coming back, he'd better come back, because he owes me a kiss!" I frowned. She wasn't still in love with him, was she? But Eiko quickly added, "On the cheek, of course. I've given him up for you, Dagger." She grinned and patted me on the shoulder-or as close and high up as she could reach.

     I smiled. Friends were something I was glad to have. And I wouldn't have met them without Zidane...the thought of him brought tears to my eyes. "I hope he's not in pain or anything."

     "Zidane is strong," came a voice. A rodent-like creature clad in a red-pink jacket.

     "Freya!" I jumped up. "You're supposed to be in Burmecia, rebuilding."

     "I simply came for a visit," she replied casually. "And to see how the search is doing. He will come back, Dagger. He would not desert you for the world."

     Friends...

     Vivi stepped awkwardly next to me and took my hand. "Freya's right, Dagger."

     "And we won't desert you for the world, either," said Beatrix's soft voice.

     They were being so nice...so supportive...the compassion brought tears to my eyes. I smiled at all of them gratefully. Having friends and people who cared about you was worth it. I'll never regret leaving the Alexandrian castle walls that day, that day that Zidane "kidnapped" me. I met so many good friends, and I met my true love as well. "Thank you," I whispered hoarsely. "You've been so kind. I don't know what I'd do without you."

     "You starve, that what," said Quina, waddling toward us. "You want cake or pie? I make lots. But I no understand. Servants no like froggy food. Oh well. I eat other yummy-yums." And s/he waddled off. We all looked in confusion after him/her, then chuckled.

     "I'm going to go attend to the needs of my people," I announced.

     "My Queen," Steiner objected, "Musn't you rest? You've toiled over their problems long enough!"

     I shook my head. "I need to take my mind off Zidane, or I'll be sad all over again. Besides, helping people makes me feel good. Beatrix, you can take a break. You and your soldiers have been at it day and night. You may resume when you're fully rested. Steiner, please send a few messages via Mognet to the moogle in the Black Mage Village. I want to send a letter to Mikoto."

     Everyone nodded. Vivi and Eiko disappeared into the kitchen. Freya bid me farewell and went to return to Burmecia. Steiner and Beatrix scattered to do their orders. (Err...Beatrix was ordered to rest.) I then set to work. /Sorry, Zidane, but thinking about you hurts. Why won't you talk to me again?/

                                                            -0-0-0-0-0-

     They think I can't hear. What am I, deaf? I can hear them perfectly well in the next room. I keep quiet and listen. Listen to the words that I didn't want to hear.

     "Steiner, did you do what Her Majesty asked you to?" Beatrix's voice.

     "Yes, of course I did." Guess who.

     "Is there something wrong?"

     A pause. Then, "No."

     I could hear Beatrix heave a sigh. "Just tell me, OK? Just tell me."

     "I do not suppose that is how you are to speak?"

     "Come off it. I know this has to do with Zidane."

     Another pause. "Sir Zidane."

     A snort. "Since when did you decide to call him something other than monkey-boy?"

     "Since the day he left and Prin-_Queen_-Garnet decided that she fell in love with this man who deserted her to be with his brother. I shall say it again: This is ludicrous!"

     "Deserted-no. Temporarily departed. It is not ludicrous, in fact. Kuja needed him."

     "No, he didn't. He was a killer. A murderer. He massacred like a bloodthirsty creature. And what? For his own gain."

     "Think about what he's been through. I'm not about to forgive him as readily as Zidane, but there's still a thing or two you have to keep in mind."

     "Why did he leave Dagger?"

     I blinked. Did Steiner just call me Dagger? He almost never said it, mostly because it reminded him of Zidane. Someone whom he had a few bitter memories with. But someone who had saved Gaia from the face of destruction.

     Beatrix again. "Steiner, he wouldn't leave her if he knew he wasn't ever coming back."

     "He's not."

     "Don't say that."

     His voice was gruff, but also tired. "The chances for finding him are slim."

     "Zidane's a survivor, Steiner. And if he said he's coming back, as Her Majesty clearly stated that he did, he's coming back. Zidane doesn't break promises easily, OK? Maybe he's a flirty kid who's a thief-slash-actor, but he's got courage, and a heart, and he knows what's right. I believe that he's coming back. Don't you dare say a word to Dagger that he isn't."

     "Don't get her hopes up, Beatrix."

     "..."

     "...nor yours."

     "Shutup, ruffian."

     "Hey!"

     "Sorry. I promise not to use even mild language around the baby."

     "Don't use it _ever_! Not even-wh-what? Baby?"

     I could imagine the smile on Beatrix's face. "Yes. Only Her Majesty knows. It's why she made me rest. I was going to tell you sooner, but we were all caught up in duties."

     Satisfied, and not wishing to hear Steiner's excited squeals of joy, I stood from my hiding place and casually strode out of the corridor, as if I had a real reason to be there. Soldiers bowed and greeted from both sides, apparently not realizing I had been eavesdropping on my two most loyal military recruits. I grinned and thought about Beatrix's words. She had had a hint of disbelief when she made her little speech, as if she were trying to convince herself. I was convinced, though. Zidane would be back for me.

     I was willing to wait.

                                                            -0-0-0-0-0-

     "Eiko?"

     "Yeah?"

     "Do you really think Zidane's coming back?"

     "Of course..."

     "I hope so. I miss him."

     "I do too, Vivi."

     "Are you going to cry again?"

     "No-*sniff*-of course not!"

     "Crying relieves your sadness."

     "It takes everything in me not to cry in front of Dagger."

     "Me too."

     "I want to tell her that everything will be OK...but, I don't know anymore."

     "Zidane will be back. He'd never let us down."

     "I hope so, Vivi. I hope so with all my heart."

     Zidane, oh my Zidane, when will you return to me? I miss you so.

AN: How'd you like it? Looks like a little reunion for our heroes. Everyone seems to be worrying about Zidane... Time skips randomly throughout my fic. Let's say this one happens about a week, more or less, since the last fic from Dagger's POV. We're about 2 weeks into the story since Kuja died. I find this chapter sorta boring, in my own opinion. Sorry, just went braindead. Practically everyone is telling Dagger the same thing over and over, and she's thinking the same thing over and over. (I was trying to potray that the other characters were simply wearing a "mask" of assurance for Dagger, because they're not sure themselves if Zidane's coming back.) I PROMISE to have some variation in Dagger's POV fics in the future ones. I'm just a lil' too lazy, sleepy, and hungry to redo this one. !.! Will you forgive me? Oh well. Matte ne, and review please!


	6. Questions

I'm Coming Back to You

Chapter 5- Questions

Disclaimer: Ugh. Legal stuff. One day, when I grow up and own a big company and make lovable games like Final Fantasy Series and everything else that's great on PS(+) and Nintendo works, blah blah blah, I'll finally have to stop making "Disclaimers". Instead, they'll be...err... "Claimers". O_o Until then...

AN: Since it has been a while since my postings, I've decided to post two at once. Just so you won't clobber me for not writing. Zidane's POV, and he still can't remember a thing. Sucks, ne? Anyway, I'm trying to pick up the pace. I'm thinking about having some Zidane POVs in a row because the story is getting important in his area. Don't worry, Dagger'll have her "moments" in the end, I guess...umm-hmm. I'm not sure how many chapters this is gonna be. Probably a lot. Brace yourselves! For now, read on:

Key: _..._ emphasize (italicize)

     /.../ thoughts

     "..." words

     *...* action.

     I could not make out much of the dream. I had hoped that it would help me...but it didn't. At least, not much. I had the deep-down feeling in my gut that the boy with the golden hair was me, Zid-whatever, but those other people-who were they and how did I know them? When did this happen?

     "Are you hungry?" her voice pierced my thoughts. 

     I looked up at her and nodded, attempting a smile. "Thanks for everything."

     "No problem." She disappeared again.

     'No problem', she said? Well, I had a problem. I had no clue who I was and what I was going to do when I got better. Maybe I could stay here with Zeithi. She was, after all, very nice and helpful and kind. After all, where else could I go? The only thing that stuck in my memory was most of my vocabulary, except for names and other things. Talk about selective amnesia.

     "Berries," Zeithi announced, marching in with another bowl. "I hope you like them. Freshly picked. Are you well enough to stand? It's best for you to get some fresh air soon."

     I shrugged. It had been a boring three days in bed, and I was willing to get out and romp around to discover my whereabouts. "I guess so. Mmm. These berries are good."

     I noticed the slight pink crept into Zeithi's cheeks. She'd never blushed in front of me before, even when I had commended her broth. She mumbled, "Thanks. Maybe you can come berry-picking with me, when you feel better." She took the empty bowl, then left again. I wondered where she went. Actually, I'm a little sleepy...

                                                            -0-0-0-0-0-

     Hordes of them. An army. An army of strange creatures. They were lumbering and slow, with bulky jackets and gloves, towering hats that shaded their face so that all you could see were the glowing yellow eyes that glared at you beneath the rim. They walked along, row by row, across the great plains. Then, on cue and perfectly synchronized as robots, they lifted their right arms and uttered a single word. Immediately, the warmth, the light, the power swirled around their hands, collecting in their palms, pulsing as if alive, writhing, whirling colors. The energy from all the creatures joined together and became one giant mass of power, ready to be released on an enemy. And so it was. A nearby tower bore the magic's force, crumbling to its foundations as the fiery energy was blasted toward it like a cannon.

     My attention was diverted to the rest of the destruction. Fire. Crying. Bloodshed. More battles. The strange and powerful creatures ambled around, blowing things and people up; they were creatures that brought death.

     I felt... Sadness. Sympathy. No, more than that. Compassion. But I could not do anything. I just watched, helpless, as more and more of the city was destroyed. Some fought back, some fled. It was a scene of utter horror. Try as I might, I could not stop watching.

     I did not understand. Why did those creatures destroy innocent people? They were ordinary citizens of whatever country they came from. Yet, they had been slaughtered, massacred, their families and homes blown to pieces. What was it that they-the mysterious and destructive creatures-wanted? Or were they being controlled by a higher force? This all puzzled me. I wanted to know more. But then, the darkness surrounded me, as before. I could not tell if it was smoke, dust, or plain lack of light.

     It was all of them, mixing together, dissolving.

     Darkness.

     Darkness.

     "Hey, didn't you want to go out today?"

                                                            -0-0-0-0-0-

     Zeithi. The beautiful, familiar face of my recently aquainted friend loomed over me, grinning. "So, did it tell you anything?"

     I sat up. /Ugh...I've got a migraine./ "No."

     "What do you mean, no? You were tossing and turning like you were on a boat in the middle of the storm." She seemed worried. "What was it all about?"

     I sighed. "War."

     "War? What kind of war?"

     I looked down at my hands, wringing them, trying to recall. "War with strange creatures...tall hats and lots of...of magic, I guess. Terrible war. Destroying cities, homes...it was horrible. It was terrifyingly tragic."

     She replied solemnly, "The recent war."

     "There was a war?"

     She nodded slowly.

     "Who was fighting?"

     She only shook her head.

     "Please, tell me."

     Zeithi groaned. "I don't want to talk about it, Zid. Please."

     I took her hands. "I'm sorry. But this could help me recover my memory."

     She bit her lip. "I don't want to..."

     "Please?" I was desperate.

     But she shook her head again. I sighed and let go of her hands, turning to the wall. "Zid..." I heard her sigh, stand, and leave the room. Why wouldn't she help me? Didn't she know the struggle that I was going through? That war might be the key to my lost past. Well, maybe someone else would know about this war.

                                                            -0-0-0-0-0-

     She was somewhere, not in the house. Maybe berry picking again. I left a note on the table. If she wasn't going to tell me, I'd have to find out myself.

     My ribs were fine, and only ached a little. I still had a migraine, but that couldn't be helped. The cool breeze of evening rustled my hair as I stepped outside. I wasn't sure where I was going to go. Maybe to Conde Petie, if I had any luck of finding it. She had described it, a small town nestled snugly on a root, hanging over the gorge below. I shouldered the small pack of food I brought and set out through the forest of trees.

     The sun hadn't quite gone down, but it was nearing the horizon and losing its golden brilliance. Wary of any remaining monsters, I kept my hand on my blade and walked on.

     War. There had been a war, just a while ago. She hadn't told me how long ago. I wondered how I, myself, had survived. Had I played a part in the war as well? Or had I been a hapless bystander who managed to get out of harm's way? Which side had I been on?

     I crossed an empty clearing, ambled down a hill and out of the protection of the forest. The twin moons of Gaia were at different stages in their cycle-one was gibbous, nearing full, the other a crescent sliver. They weren't bright enough to overtake the sun's fading rays, yet still stood out in the red and orange sky like audacious sore thumbs.

     Where was I headed? I had no idea. I just trudged along through the desert sand, dodging a strange mole-like creature that fussed at me and a thorny bush. The sand stretched all around me like a sea and the forest was a dark thin line I could barely make out behind me. I walked on.

                                                            -0-0-0-0-0-

     It was very cold now. The light had disappeared about an hour or so ago, more or less when I had lost my sense of direction. It wasn't exactly pitch-black, but the moons were covered with thick, dismal clouds.

     I sat, huddled behind a rock, cursing myself for going out in the first place. How did I expect to find answers in the middle of nowhere? My head ached and my stomach protested. I'd give anything to be back in my bed in Zeithi's house. Biting my lip, I shivered. The evening breeze had turned into a night wind, grabbing and snapping at my clothes and my hair. I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the hard surface of stone.

                                                            -0-0-0-0-0-

     A girl. A beautiful girl, wearing an orange jumper and short-cut glossy black hair. She was holding a peculiar looking object: a staff that seemed to have some sort of bowl at the end. The girl waved the item and shouted. I willed myself to hear her. Her lips moved soundlessly, her words caught in the wind that whistled by. Then that gust floated over to me, wherever I was, and brought her single word: "Zidane."

AN: I don't remember too much about the Outer Continent area that I attempted to describe here, so I tried not to throw in anything that might confuse you. I was going to have him go to the ruins of Madain Sari, but then he'd have to go through Conde Petie, and since I'm horrible at their accents, I'm not even gonna try. (O_o Stardust not attempting? Run for the hills!) Oh, well. 'Til next time!


	7. Answers

I'm Coming Back to You

Chapter 6- Answers

Disclaimer: You know the drill...

AN: Hey, I'm back! Sixth chapter. As I told you before, I plan to have Zidane POVs in a row, and this is the next one. Dagger is still waiting back in Alexandria, and that's all you need to know right now. I guess. I'm still trying to sort things out. Especially throwing new things into the story, and get prepared for more!!! *mwahahahahahaha*

Key: _..._ emphasize (italicize)

     /.../ thoughts

     "..." words

     *...* action

     When I awoke, the sun was halfway over the horizon, the sky bursting with color in all its glory. Blinking and trying to remember the events of the previous day, I stood and scrambled atop the stone structure beside me. Nothing marvelous or landmarks. /Dammit. I'm still lost./ Running a hand through my rumpled hair, I leaped from the rock and sighed. /Might as well look for something to eat./

     The memory of the dream struck me as I walked. Who was that girl? Something tugged at my heart, telling me that she was an important part of my lost memory. Was she a relative? Unlikely. A friend? Maybe even more than a friend. A girlfriend. Someone who meant a lot to me. Someone who meant everything to me. Someone who-

     There was a movement in the treeline that I had come upon. I sucked in a breath and ducked behind another large rock and a bush. Voices. I crept around to get a better look. Two figures. I squinted. One of them was short and wore bulky clothing. It had a tall, pointed hat that overshadowed its face. It was one of those creatures I saw in my dream! I growled and put my hand on my blade, then paused.

     It was the other person that caught my attention. She had shoulder-lengthed hair as mine and clothes similar to that of Zeithi. I peered at her and gasped. She, too, had a tail! I held my breath to hear what they were saying.

     "Mikoto," the short one was saying, "I was just at Alexandria, visiting Dagger."

     "Oh," the one with the tail replied, rather unhappily. "How is she?"

     I decided the mage wasn't very threatening. He had different color apparell than the war creatures that I had seen in my dream. He was also smaller and timid. "Well, she's still distressed."

     "Ah, she still must miss _him_, no?" Mikoto sighed. "So do I."

     "Me too. He was like a brother to me."

     She chuckled. "He was my brother. Something to that extent."

     "How many more mages do we have left?"

     "Oh, Vivi, they are dropping like flies. I wish we could do something."

     'Vivi' frowned. "Poor No. 288."

     "Indeed." She sniffed. "We must return. There is much to do."

     The two disappeared into the trees. I put a hand to my heart to find that it was thumping wildly. Who were they? Should I follow them? Who was Dagger, and that _him_ they spoke so sorrowfully of? What was a No. 288?

     I rose to go after them into the forest, when I heard a shout.

     "Zid! Is that you? Zid!"

     I turned my head to see Zeithi running across the sand, a look of relief spread over her face. When she approached, she began to yell. "What do you think you're doing?! Running away when I've done so much for you, without a goodbye besides a measly little note, and when you're not back to full health yet?!" She scowled at my calm expression. "Well? What do you have to say for yourself?"

     "Who are they?"

     She blinked. "What?"

     "Them." I pointed into the trees where the two people-were they people?-had gone. "Someone who looked like me, and one of those things I saw in my dream."

     Zeithi frowned. "How-Did you-"

     I looked to her, eyes pleading. "You know something about them, don't you?"

     She groaned and gave in. "I should've known. I guess I better start from the beginning."

-0-0-0-0-0-

     She took a breath. "Not long ago, in Alexandria, Queen Brahne was still alive. If you ask me, she was the ugliest thing I ever did see...well, anyway, I had journeyed to the city to watch a theatre group called Tantalus perform everyone's favorite play, 'I Want to be Your Canary', by Lord Avon himself. And-"

     I blinked. "I've heard of that before. And Tantalus..."

     She looked at me curiously, squinting. "It can't be," she muttered to herself. "No. It couldn't."

     "What?" I asked.

     She shook her head. "Never mind. Anyway, during the play, the most beautiful woman on the face of Gaia, Princess Garnet, disappeared. Captain Steiner of the Knights of Pluto went out searching for her. I don't remember much to that point, but I remember Tantalus and Steiner engaged in combat on the stage. Tantalus tried to escape with the Princess, and Brahne, furious, bombarded them with cannons. It was a very well-thought plan for kidnapping, I'd suppose. However, they managed to leave Alexandria, but there were reports that they went down in the Evil Forest."

     Something clicked. Evil Forest? An image of a giant plant filled my mind...bug-like creatures chasing us...who was us? The boy who looked like me, a man dressed in a knight's armor who carried the lovely girl I saw last night in my dream. There was also the red-head I saw in an earlier dream, my first one, and...could it be? Was that the mage I saw earlier this morning? I shook my head.

     "What?"

     "Nothing. Keep going." I willed myself to listen to her.

     "I suppose Brahne was furious for losing her daughter, so she sent an army of these Black Mages to Lindblum, where the Princess was supposed to be. The city was devastated. Then she went on to conquer Burmecia, and chased their residents-the rat population-to Cleyra, in the desert. Things eventually went out of hand and the man who supplied Queen Brahne with her war creatures, the Black Mages, went out of control and killed Brahne. The place isn't far from here-it's called the Iifa Tree. I heard it's enchanted or something."

     "Enchanted?" I asked curiously. "Isn't that the place where you found me?"

     "Yes. I tried to escape from the warfare and moved here. Shortly after, the summoner that I saw disappeared. I haven't been in much contact with the outside world since."

     However, the people I saw earlier was still bugging my mind. "And the people I saw?"

     She shrugged. "I never met one up front. Too scared. Something about them is strange. They're connected to the recent war, somehow."

     I laughed, suddenly. "Strange? You're forgetting about me. I might be one of them. Am I strange?" She didn't smile, though. "Oh, yeah. I am strange. This dude you found somewhere in an enchanted tree who doesn't have any clue of his past." I sighed, my earlier joke losing its mirth. "I guess I'm strange."

     Zeithi was silent. She glanced toward the trees and said, "Did you talk to them?"

     I shook my head. "I was afraid, too. But I want to, now."

     "Please, you won't go to them right away, will you?" the glint in her eyes was ambiguous-I squinted, trying to figure out her motives. Why was she so anxious to have me stay? I agreed, though, because my stomach was rumbling, and my head was beginning to hurt again. 

-0-0-0-0-0-

     A bowl of soup, a bunch of berries, half a Chocobo egg, and a glass of juice later, we were sitting peacefully at her kitchen table, leaning against the wooden backs of our chairs and burping contentedly. Zeithi grinned. "Can't...move...too...full..."

     I laughed, and she laughed, and we were just sitting there, writhing in our seats and clutching our sides and howling. Suddenly I stopped. Zeithi was arrested in mid-giggle-she stared at me. "What is it?"

     "I can't remember the last time I laughed like that."

     "Of course," she scoffed, "You've got amnesia, remember?" I hung my head. She _had_ to bring that up again. She gasped, with much remorse. "I'm so sorry Zid, I didn't mean to-"

     "It's Zidane." I stood from my chair and headed towards the door.

     She scrambled from her seat and came up behind me. "What?"

     I turned my head to look at her. "My name isn't Zid. It's Zidane. I figured it out."

     To my surprise, Zeithi let out a squeal. "You've remembered!" She blithely threw her arms around me in an awkward embrace of congratulations. I was so full of surprise I didn't move, just stood there, looking at her with wide eyes.

     "Oh!" then she leaped off me, tumbling backwards into the table, red as a tomato. "I...I..."

     Her expression was so hilarious I burst out laughing all over again. Zeithi, after looking at me for a moment, joined my silliness, and we just stood there, chortling and choking over giggles. Then, feeling energetic, I ran through the doorway and charged through the trees, Zeithi at my heels, both of us shouting like wild animals. We ran out into the sand and tumbled through a patch of grass, chests heaving, but grinning from ear to ear.

     Finally, after lying in the green for a moment to calm ourselves, I sat up. "Zeithi..."

     "Yeah?" She rolled over on her side to face me, propping her head up with an elbow. I observed her for a minute, the long strands of brown hair falling over her shoulders, occasionally rustling with the evening breeze. Her verdant eyes gleamed warmly. I bit my lip, knowing that what I was to say next would break our "moment".

     "Zeithi, how come you wouldn't tell me about the war before? You were...uncomfortable with talking about it."

     She instanlty flew into a rage. "I STILL AM!" Furious, Zeithi jumped up and stormed a few feet away.

     /Great, she's mad at me./ I clambered after her, stumbling through the weeds and sand. "Hey, wait a second! I just wanna know what's going on."

     "You have no right to know!" She stopped running, but crossed her arms defiantly and refused to face me.

     I walked around to her front. "I'm just trying to help, okay? You don't have to-"

     "LOOK!" She yelled. "YOU HAVEN'T BEEN THROUGH WHAT I'VE BEEN THROUGH! So just shutup and quit pretending you can make everything better all over again! Because you can't! You can't! Nobody can! Nobody..." She began to cry.

      I touched her shoulder, hoping to console her. "Zeithi...tell me what's wrong..."

      She sniffed and wiped at the tears, futilely. "It's my family, Zidane. My whole family was wiped out during the war. I moved here, but the rest of them were stuck in Alexandria. Eventually, they made plans to join me. And then-they were all killed in an attack. My dad left my mom before I was born, but I still had her and my little brother and sisters. And now they're...they're all gone!" She kept sobbing.

     Sympathy and compassion overtook me. I stepped forward and put my arms around her, letting her weep into my chest, and patted her back. "Shh, it's OK. Don't cry..." We remained in that embrace for a while, beneath the star-lit sky, until Zeithi's wails were reduced to sniffles, and I could now properly hear the night bugs chirping. "You alright?" I whispered to her. She nodded, but didn't let go of me. My foot was starting to fall asleep, however, so I shifted and pulled away slightly to look at her tear-stained face.

     Her eyes and nose were red, and there were damp streaks leading down her cheeks and chin. I pulled out a handkerchief-now where did I get that from?-and tried to wipe her to a state that was less embarrassing, for I found she was blushing crimson.

     "Thanks," she mumbled, taking the cloth and mopping her face further. She still had one hand around me, and I was getting more uncomfortable by the minute. /Oh, well. Anything for a Damsel in Distress, I guess./ I shrugged and patted her head again.

     "Hey...you feeling better? I'm really sorry about your family."

     She nodded, quiet, then looked up at me.

     "And I hope you feel better." I cocked my head and studied her.

     "Umm..." She looked down, cheeks burning scarlet, and sucked in a breath. "I just wanted to thank you, Zid-Zidane. I've been living alone for a while and it was nice to have company. And I-I wanna wish you luck and everything on finding out about your past."

     "Your welcome," I replied, as she lifted her head once more. I felt her leaning closer, but I didn't make any move, just anticipating what she would say next, but-

     Cool, smooth lips fell on mine. I just stood there for two seconds, trying to comprehend what was happening. Then, the realization hit me. I started, stumbling backwards and releasing Zeithi. She gasped and clutched both hands to her mouth. I gawked at her in complete disbelief and bewilderment, both of us frozen and gaping at each other. Abruptly, Zeithi spun 180 degrees and fled down the hillside and into the trees.

AN: Pretty long chapter there, eh? Of course, it's just like me to make more things complicated! Short AN now, I gotta go work on the next chapter... Reviews, please. Many thanks for your already-written reviews. =0)


	8. Interference

I'm Coming Back to You

Chapter 7- Interference

Disclaimer: *Runs around like a nut* I WANNA OWN FINAL FANTASY IX!!! I WANNA BE REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY RICH AND GET THE CREDIT FOR EVERYTHING!!!

AN: Before I say anything else, I want to first APOLOGIZE for my lack of updates. This was for 2 reasons: 1) I totally lost my internet connection. I'm serious. I did not have any access to my fanfictions, or any other website for that matter, for MONTHS. This was COMPLETE TORTURE. I guess you take things for granted and don't realize how important they are to you until you lose them. Sadly, I learned the hard way. 2) My hard drive crashed. And, the nut that I am, I did not have the chance to back-up some files. I saved my other files, but not some of my fanfiction works. That means I've lost several chapters. *sobs* Well, no use crying over spilt milk. Fortunately, I've been able to save a few. Here's one of them…

*Dun Dun Dun Duuuuunnnn* *deep, mysterious voice* Seventh chapter. *regular voice* Welcome back, or if you didn't even leave…welcome back anyway. I told you I would have several Zidane POV's in a row, and I was about to do that—until I realized I had a wonderful cliffhanger in the last chapter and I wanted to torture you by not telling you what happens right away. Hehehe. Plus, I have a few things in store for Garnet. *cue the evil laugh* Well, I'm still not entirely sure how many chapters this is gonna be. From the looks of things, it's gonna be a lot. I haven't gotten half of the storyline going yet, which is a terrible thing for an author like me.

Let's review the facts. Zidane was in the Iifa Tree, but he got it mad by poking his sharp Ultima Weapon into it, and now it decided to knock him out and erase half of his memory. (This poor guy gets amnesia too much. He just learned who he was and now he's gotta forget again?) This really nice and pretty girl named Zeithi rescued him and tried to nurse him back to health. 'Zid' starts getting really strange dreams of his past life, and Zeithi starts telling him about the war that was going on. (If you don't know what 'war' I'm talking about, I'll tell you this—quit while you're still ahead.) She also tells him she lost her family in the war. Then, in the last chapter, she kisses him.

On to Garnet and her less interesting part in the story. ^.^ She's still wondering where Zidane is, and everyone is trying to cheer her up. Beatrix is pregnant and on a frantic search for her Queen's lover, while Steiner is seriously doubting Zidane is still alive. Now to make Garnet's life more interesting:

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     Zidane, love. Where are you? I'll wait until the world falls apart for you. I'll wait until the sky caves in. I'll wait until the ocean swallows up Alexandria in its fury—/Which, by the way, I hope will never happen!/—or the Qus band together and try to eat every last chocobo on Gaia. Unless…

     "Your Majesty?" *cough*

     "Yes, Beatrix?" I glanced over at the armor-clad woman who stood at the entrance to the throneroom.

     She bowed as low as she could, her hand on her conspicuously swelling stomach. "There is somebody here to see you. Apparently, a reknowed noble from Treno."

     I raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

     "A Lord Davilonen."

     "Hmm, rings a bell. I think." I sighed. "Very well. Send him in, please."

     Beatrix bowed once more and disappeared into the hallway. I yawned and rubbed my forehead in frustration. Now nobles from these other cities are asking me for help? I'm the Queen of Alexandria, not the Advisor of Gaia. But when the footsteps of the approaching aristocrat resounded, coming closer, I straightened myself and hoped I looked presentable.

     The female general was looking very beat, so I sent her off to her room (not without one of her attempted protests, of course), leaving me alone with the man.

     He smiled warmly and stepped forward with a bow of obeisance. "Good afternoon Your Lovely Majesty. How fares your day?"

     "Quite fine, thank you," I replied cautiously. He was being a bit too charming.

     "I am terribly grieved over the loss of your—er—beau, for I heard he was killed," he tried.

     I sighed. "No, Lord Davilonen, my __beau_ is not dead."_

     The cocky man grinned evilly. "Oh, yet there are reports he was perhaps crushed or swallowed into the depths of the Iifa Tree, correct? Neither has he attended to your presence. I had a thought that you may be in need of consolation, my Lady."

     "How kind of you." My voice was cold. I wasn't liking this man at all. "Lord Davilonen—"

     "Please, Garnet. Call me Dave."

     /What's wrong with him? First he calls me his 'Lady', and now he's called me by my first name? And he expects me to call him 'Dave'. Foolish man. I will have none of this./ I frowned and tried to remain calm. "Lord Dave—"

     "Oh, you may drop the title altogether, dear."

     Dear? I can't take anymore of this! Rising, I said angrily, "Lord Davilonen, I am kindly asking you to leave my throneroom and my castle, and preferably, my kingdom. I am not currently able to be won over with your enticements. If you do not immediately comply, I shall have you removed with force."

     "But—" he sputtered, clearly astonished.

     Enraged, I called for my guards, who scurried into the room and dragged the objecting fraud from me. "You will have to give him up someday!" Davilonen called. I scowled and plunked my hands on my hips, then thundered off to my room. 

                                                            -0-0-0-0-0-

     __Knock Knock.__

     "Come in."

     __Clank Clank._ "My Queen?"_

     "Steiner. What is it?" I turned to face him, and sighed to find him kneeling on one knee on the carpet, in a begging stance. "Adelbeirt Steiner, what do you think you're doing?"

     He crawled forward, still kneeling. __Clank, Clank._ "Your Majesty, I caught word of the earlier encounter with Lord Davilonen, and your quite fearsome frustration with the man, and, er, your discrepancy—"_

     "What's the point, Steiner?"

     "Err, what I wish to say is that, won't you give him a chance?"

     "WHAT?" I nearly roared, leaping up. "And drop Zidane altogether? Absurd!"

     Steiner shrank back at my rage. "But, my Queen—"

     "I told you!" I yelled. Steiner was really pushing it. "I won't give up on Zidane! Ever! Not until I see him, dead or alive, intact or mutated, right here, in front of me! I don't care what you do or what you say! I LOVE HIM!!!" I was vaguely aware my face was red, my chest was heaving, and I was digging my fingernails into the lower part of the palm of my hand. Making a tremendous effort to allay myself, I gritted my teeth and hissed, "Now, if you would be so kind Steiner, I would like to be alone for a moment."

     Steiner rose to his feet, gravely bowed, and left. I feared I had hurt his feelings, but what was he thinking, to ask me something like that?

                                                            -0-0-0-0-0-

     The General knocked on my door a few minutes later. "Your Highness, may I inquire on Captain Steiner? He seems to be upset. Has something terrible happened?"

     I shook my head, remorseful. "It's my fault, Beatrix. I yelled at him." She seemed startled. "He was asking me to…to forget about Zidane," I tried to explain. But Beatrix was silent. "Oh, please don't agree with him! It's only been a few weeks, you can't already ask me to—"

     "I'm not," she tried to say, "But Steiner only wants the best for you. He wants to make sure that you're happy. He's rather disheartened after that conversation of yours and his."

     I frowned. "Please tell him that I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset him…I just got upset too."

     Beatrix nodded and left.

     Zidane, I'm falling apart without you. Will I ever get to see your smile? Will you ever hold me safe in your arms again? I live for that day, love. Remember that.

AN: Good enough? Certainly not long enough, my apologies. I wanted to add more, but that seemed like a nice enough ending. More on Garnet's part soon. Until then, I'd really appreciate a review now and then! ~.^


	9. Emotions

I'm Coming Back to You

Chapter 8- Emotions

Disclaimer: The video game (created for the entertainment console Playstation) Final Fantasy IX does not, in any shape or form, belong to the inexperienced (and crazy) author Rainbow Stardust. Any and all content of the game, including characters, locations, names, concepts, etc is legal property of Square. The plot of this story, as well as the title and additional characters are mine, however I realize that it may not be orginally created by me, as I don't feel like being original today. *glares at lawyers standing by* There? Is that legal enough for you?

AN: Where I last left you, Zeithi had crossed the line and KISSED our beloved hero Quina—er, Zidane. (If it was up to me, I'd say Quina was a female. S/he could be a distant cousin to Brahne or something, you never know.) Eeek! We also learned that some Treno nobles have been hitting on Garnet. =0P I just LOVE conspiracies. Well, I mean, complicated plots. Anyway, just as a warning: get prepared for major MUSH! All that great stuff. I mean, the chapter title practically screams it—"EMOTIONS!" OK. Read now.

Key: _…_ emphasize (italicize)

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     What should I do? Maybe I could just sleep out here. It's safer than in the trees—or not? There is no cover out here, and there's cover in the trees, but also cover for the monsters I could possibly meet up with. Oh, well, it wouldn't matter. I don't have my Ultima Weapon to fight with, either way. I left it on my bed back at Zeithi's house. Why can't I just go back there and get it? Oh, yeah. Because she kissed me. And she's probably so embarrassed she locked me out of her house. Just great, for someone who has forgotten everything he has ever known about himself except for a few things here and there.

     Well, I guess there's only one way I'm gonna find out if she locked me out or not.

     Here goes nothing. __Knock Knock._ "Hello, umm Zeithi? I know you probably don't want to talk to me, but I really need to get my weapon. I can't survive out here without it…but if you won't give it to me then I'll—"_

     The door swung open to reveal her clear and well-composed face, and her extended arm with the Ultima Weapon. "You'll?"

     "I'll…thank you," I replied, taking the item. Then, bowing with gratitude, I turned to leave.

     "Where ya goin'?"

     I blinked at her. "Away."

     She looked hurt. "Away from me? Well, I suppose. Considering you don't like me."

     "Who said that I don't like you? I thought it was you who didn't like me."

     She snorted. "If I didn't like you, would I have kissed you?" It surprised me that she addressed the fact fearlessly. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to say, but she beat me to it. "Don't you think it's cold out here? You'd better come in before you get sick all over again."

     "Uh, sure." I wasn't completely sure what to expect next, but I did need a place to stay. If Zeithi wanted me to leave in the morning, then I would. I warily eyed her smile and stepped into the cottage. There was something odd about how she smiled. As if it were—forced, maybe? It was, for one thing, overly cheerful. Oh, well. These things were better thought out with a clear head, which I didn't have at the moment. A yawn caught me off guard. "Thanks. And goodnight," I told her as I headed for my room.

     "Goodnight," I heard her whisper, then the quiet click of her door shutting behind her.

                                                            -0-0-0-0-0-

     When I found her, she was sitting on the turf just outside the house, gazing at the rising sun, deep in thought. I had resolved to keep my weapon with me at all times, in case I was turned out of the cottage without prior notice again. Stealthily, I crept up behind her, then all of a sudden yelled, "BOO!"

     Zeithi jumped a foot in the air at least, and when she came back down she glared at me with such ferocity I winced. Then the corners of her mouth turned up and she laughed, once more, with the ringing bells I had learned to appreciate. "Good morning. Did you have a good rest?"

     "Yeah," I lied. In reality, I had slept fitfully that night, ambushed by more dreams. That girl kept appearing to me, seeming depressed and lonely. I had a strange feeling every time I saw her. Not even just __one__ feeling, but many. And what was extraordinary was that I couldn't put a finger on a single one of them. 

     Zeithi wasn't fooled. "I could hear you through the wall. Banging and clanging a riot in there. Wrestling some dragons? Or what?"

     "Nothing," I assured her. But she wouldn't be dismissed. So I tried to explain that I just had another memory-related dream and that it was nothing to worry about.

     "What was your dream about?" she asked.

     I flinched inwardly. I was hoping she didn't ask that. I really didn't want to tell her about the "other" girl. Not that Zeithi and I had anything between us besides a quick kiss, and I wasn't even sure what connection I had with the pretty girl. But I knew Zeithi would ask what the girl I saw looked like, and avoiding the term, "good-looking" would be too difficult. There was another part of my dream, though, and I aimed to exclude everything else. "A song," I replied.

     She hadn't been ready for that response. "A __song__?"

     "Yeah."

     "How'd it go?"

     I frowned doubtfully. Perhaps it was an instinct, or an inner emotion, that told me that the song was something special, like a secret, or something that kept two people together. Like a love song—which I figured it was. Maybe it wouldn't hurt if I sang a part of it to Zeithi. "Well, it went like this:

A voice from the past joining yours and mine

Adding up the layers of harmony

And so it goes, on and on

Melodies of life-to the sky beyond the flying birds

Forever and beyond.

So far and away, see the bird as it flies by

Gliding through the shadows of the clouds up in the sky

I've laid my memories and dreams upon those wings

Leave them now and see what tomorrow brings."

     She looked at me expectantly for more, but, nervously, I shook my head. "I can't remember."

     Deception never seemed to get by Zeithi, but she let me off the hook this time, commending that the song was a very nice one. "It is nice, really. I wonder who thought it up? I heard something like it around here. Just a small melody, when I went to visit the ruins. But, that's something else. So—"

     I let out a little yelp when she snuggled next to me and put her arm around me. "Zeithi, what are you doing?!"

     "I just thought you'd enjoy a moment with me."

     "With you, or __up on you_?"_

     She winced visibly, pulling away to look up at me. "Zidane, you don't understand. All this time, I've felt something special about you. When I found you, I thought you were just some lost traveler stupid enough to get close to the Iifa Tree. But there's something else about you. An energy. And I enjoy being with you. It's like you were brought to me by fate. And I just want to say…I love you."

     __I love you?__ Of all things, she had to say that to me. What was I supposed to say in reply to that? I had a small affection for her, but more in a way of friends. I knew for a fact I didn't love Zeithi the way she loved me. "Zeithi, I…"

     "Yes?" She held her breath. I sighed at her hopeful expression.

     "Zeithi, I don't mean to hurt you or anything, but I can't say the same thing back to you." Her lip began to tremble. Still, I continued. "I appreciate you, and what you've done for me. I have to admit, I wouldn't be standing right here like I am right now without you. And that means I'm forever in your debt. But I don't want to pay you back…like this."

     I saw, with remorse, that she was fighting tears. "Why can't you just say you love me? Stay here with me and be happy? I'm happy with you. Happy like I could never imagine."

     "I want you to be happy, but I can't stay here." I tried to be gentle. "I still have to find out who I am. I have this strong feeling that someone is waiting for me. That he or she needs me more than anything. And for some reason…I need them more than anything."

     She sniffed. "So…there was someone else before? In your past?"

     I scratched the back of my neck. "I'm not sure, OK? I'm going through stuff here."

     "Does this mean you're going to go see the—that person, and the mage?"

     "Yeah, I have to. They know something about me." Tears began to spill from her cheeks. She began to sob vioently, but still wouldn't let go of me. In the mid-morning light we sat, with her clinging onto me like I was her last and only hope for survival. I refrained from anything besides patting her head and waiting for her wails to subside.

     Presently, Zeithi quieted. Without a word, she stood up and went inside the house. I sat there, watching the door, wondering what I should do next. Thankfully, I had my weapon, but I didn't want to just leave without saying goodbye. /It'd be best, just to say goodbye now. I won't be able to leave if I waited longer./

     Rising to my feet, I slowly trudged to the door and lifted my fist tentatively to knock. Was this the right thing to do? Yes.

     Before I could strike the hard wood, the door swung open. Zeithi, her face still tear-streaked and red, was smiling. It wasn't fake—I could see it in her eyes. They were sparkling like she was truly happy. "Zidane…you're right. We don't belong together."

     What was wrong with this girl? First she wants to get with me, then not anymore? "How do you know this?"

     "The song," she replied. "I was thinking about it, when I was crying. How you sang it. Did you notice? I guess not. Even just a verse—you were getting really into it. You shoulda heard your voice. It was filled with…loneliness. Longing. I don't know. Some emotion I can't describe." I looked at her strangely. Had I really? I didn't just memorize it—after the first few words, they had just flowed out of me. I had let them come, and then stopped it. And I had thought nothing of it. Zeithi continued: "I knew it then—it was a secret between you and someone else. The song was some kind of connection. Maybe something like a friendship necklace or bracelet, but stronger and lasting. I-I knew I loved you…and when I heard you sing like that, I was afraid I was going to lose you. So I rushed into everything and blurted out that I loved you. But that was a big mistake, wasn't it?"

     "Zeithi, please don't feel badly."

     "I'm glad I've gotten it off my back, though. It's been haunting me since the evening I found you. Odd, isn't it? I never understood love."

     A sudden thought occurred to me. "You've fallen in love before, haven't you?"

     She fell silent and hung her head. I frowned. "So that's it, isn't it? You were trying to find someone or something to fill that void in your heart. Please understand that I won't ever be able to do that, no matter how much I am like your old…whatever."

     "Fiancé."

     "Huh?"

     "Fiancé," she croaked.

     "What happened to him?"

     She shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it."

     "Well, whatever happened, no one, even me, can replace him. There will always be a special place in your heart for him." She looked up at me, eyes glistening and confused. "I know this," I told her, "because there is someone whom I have reserved a space in my heart for, and I have yet to find her." That was the final conclusion I had drawn with the little information I had collected, and I was sticking with it until otherwise.

     "You must go to them, then!" she leaped from the door and grabbed a wrapped bundle, then thrust it eagerly into my arms. "I packed it for you. The trip isn't far to the village of black mages, but it's easy to get lost."

     "You've been there before?" my eyes went wide.

     "No," she shook her head. "But I know where it is. You might walk right past it, though. Just hang around the area I tell you to, and if you see a black mage, __follow it__. It'll lead you right to it!" Her face had considerably dried, and I scanned her carefully for any hint of a lack of authenticity—but she was genuine without a doubt.

     "Thank you so much," I bowed with a flourish and a great sweep, and she curtseyed. Then I smiled, turned, and began to walk in the direction her finger pointed.

     I never looked back.

AN: Arrgh does Zidane seem a little OOC? I know he's not himself anyway, but something's wrong with the way I'm potraying him! . I'll figure it out sooner or later. I'm my worst critic, unless some mean ole' flamer dances up and puts up a review that I won't be able to STAND! So far, there are nice ones. ^.^ I need more encouragement than you think, don't worry. Short AN this time—long chapter. Not that it matters. Ja ne, and reviews, onegai-shimasu?


	10. Escape

I'm Coming Back to You

Chapter 9- Escape

Disclaimer: Wow. Square is now Square Enix. So…since Square created Final Fantasy IX while it was still Square, is Final Fantasy IX owned by Square or Square Enix? *scratches head* I'm confused…

AN: Wasn't the last chapter interesting? O_o. Back to the second half of my story. Garnet is going through things that are compromising her relationship with Zidane. Excepting the fact that that relationship is practically non-existent at the moment, considering each person isn't too sure of the whereabouts of the other. Ehehe.

Key: _…_ emphasize (italicize)

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     The meeting with Lord Davilenon had left me deeply disturbed, but thoughtful as well. Steiner seemed to want me to open up, so to speak, and Beatrix seemed to lean in his direction. I trusted them both with my life…but was my love life the same thing? And what of Zidane? He hadn't shown up since he left for his brother nearly a month ago.

     Should I really forget about Zidane? I don't think so. I mean, it hasn't been too long? He could be on his way now. What could be delaying him?

     I had made up my mind. I couldn't handle the pressure in the castle anymore. I was going to get out into the open air and find my lover, if it was the last thing that I did.

     It was so much like what I had done several months ago, without the careful planning. Spontaneous wasn't my thing, but if I didn't leave now, the responsibilities of Queen would weigh me down too much. It was nearly the middle of the night. I rummaged through my things until I found it—my White Mage Robe. It had miraculously survived Vivi's Fire incident, and with a few patches and stitches here and there, it looked as good as new. I slipped it on over a set of warm clothing and stuffed a few other plain robes into a sack. I also packed a stash of food I had snuck from the kitchen earlier.

     Adding a cloak and a small purse to my gear, I grabbed my Tiger Racket and headed for the door of my bedroom. The trip with Zidane hadn't been in vain—I had learned a thing or two about stealth, and easily got by the guards of the hall. However, I hadn't counted on more guards patrolling the next hallway, and nearly tripped into their path.

     Those guards stood between me and my freedom. I hesitated, back pressed against the wall, wondering what to do, when I saw a statue on the other side of the room that gave me an idea. I carefully cast Float, and then, a few seconds later, Dispel. The statue landed with a thud on the ground, catching the attention of the guards. It was my chance!

     I fled silently past them and towards the door on the opposite side of the room. The guards had moved from their spot towards the statue, and didn't notice as I undid the lock. Finally, I yanked open the door and stumbled through, shutting it securely behind me. My chest rose and fell rapidly as I leaned against the wall, my open mouth gasping for breaths. It wasn't so much the run as the excitement and close escape.

     Soon my breathing became normal. I shouldered the sack once again and walked along the wall towards the city of Alexandria. /I'm coming, Zidane. I promise. Will you wait for me?/

                                                            -0-0-0-0-0-

     __Knock Knock_._

     Beatrix groaned and sat up in bed. She glanced sleepily out the window. "Who would be knocking at this hour?" she grumbled, pulling some decent clothes on and stumbling to the door. She opened it to find one of her commanders. "What?" she demanded.

     "A thousand apologies, General Beatrix, but there seems to be a situation."

     "A situation? Are we under attack?"

     "Er, no. Her Majesty—Queen Garnet—" Beatrix held her breath. The woman hesitated, then finished: "The Queen is missing, General. We have searched her room, and the grounds, and have found no trace of her. She is gone."

     "What?!" Beatrix didn't even stop to pull on a coat. She stormed past the soldier and to Garnet's empty room. "No…" She wanted to scream. "I should've known! What am I, stupid? Of course she would have left!!!"

     "General Beatrix!"

     She turned to find Steiner, running toward her. He was in near panic. "Her Royal Highness!"

     Beatrix took a deep breath. "Garnet's gone." She didn't bother with correct protocol. /I can't believe I didn't anticipate this! I should've put up more security or something. I should have—/

     Steiner was sobbing into his gloves. Beatrix watched as he stumbled into the room, on his knees, and pulled a sword from his back. Her eyes widened. /He's not wearing any armor!/ "No! Adelbeirt! Don't—"

     She lunged at him and managed to knock the weapon away before he could plunge it into his chest. Beatrix cursed at him. "Captain Steiner! What do you think you're doing?!"

     "I cannot live knowing that I failed in my duty to protect the Queen!"

     "You did not fail in anything!" Beatrix tossed the sword aside. "Garnet ran away of her own free will. You and I both know it. She's out to look for Zidane. We have to find her, before she hurts herself. She may be a white mage, and a summoner, but she won't be able to survive with what Zidane taught her in a few months. Plus, she's alone. We need everyone we can get, and that includes you, Steiner." Steiner just stared at the floor. Beatrix sighed. "I can't go out and look for her. I'm pregnant. I need you to do it."

     He gasped and looked up. "But…I am a mere captain. I cannot do such a thing!"

     "I'm appointing you, Steiner. Please. Go, gather your Knights of Pluto. We'll need them. I…need to collect my thoughts." She picked up his sword and handed it back to him. "No more of this nonsense, OK?"

     Steiner took the sword and replaced it reluctantly. "Surely." He watched as Beatrix returned to her room. "Beatrix…" She turned around and looked at him expectantly. He nodded at her. "Thank you, for saving my life. And, this is not your fault either. It is neither of ours."

     Beatrix stared at him for a while, then managed a smile. "Your welcome. And, I know. But… thanks for reminding me." She closed the door behind her quietly. 

                                                            -0-0-0-0-0-

     The sun had risen. I took a deep breath. Beatrix had probably already found out that I was gone. But I was pretty far already. I had managed to hitch a ride into Lindblum, where I hoped to contact Tantalus. Maybe they knew something about Zidane.

     Lindblum looked busy as usual. I stepped into the cab and waited until we stopped at the Theatre District. There were a lot of people bustling in and out of the cab, but I noticed that two men hadn't gotten off since I had boarded. What was worse, they had their eyes on me. I swallowed the lump in my throat and glanced out the window. The cab pulled to a stop, much to my relief. The doors slid open and I hurried out, anxious to escape. It hadn't occurred to me that a young, pretty, and very much alone girl would be an easy target for people who did not have pure intentions.

     I noticed that the men had begun to follow me, so I ducked behind a shop and into an alleyway. There were footsteps behind me. I hurried through the darkness, praying that they would give up and leave me alone. The footsteps grew nearer. I gasped and hugged my bag tight. Suddenly, a voice said, "Going somewhere?"

     They were upon me, grinning madly. I backed into the wall, terrified. One of the men smirked. "What's a pretty little lady like you doing all by yourself in this big city? You could get lost…or worse…you could fall into the wrong hands."

     I simply glared at them, and out of the corner of my eye, I looked for a way to escape. They had surrounded me, but there was an open window not too high up, and if I managed to slither away from them and leap on top of that large crate standing a few feet away, I might be able to make it.

     The first guy advanced on me, pinning me to the wall. I grimaced at his bad breath. The man chuckled, showing his crooked and blackened teeth. I cringed and flattened myself as much as possible. The other man snatched my sack away and looked through it. "Looks like you've been ready for a long trip, eh, girlie? What's this? A stick?" He pulled my Tiger Racket out and waved it. "Whatcha gonna do? Beat away a couple of dogs with it?" He tossed my weapon aside and pulled out my food.

     /There goes my three-days' worth of supplies,/ I groaned inwardly. But my attention refocused on the first man, who started to stroke my cheek. "You're a pretty one, aren't you?"

     "Leave me alone," I growled through gritted teeth.

     "Hmm, maybe I will." He pretended to ponder the idea. "That is, if you give me a kiss." I sucked in a breath. He puckered his lips. "Come on, sweetie, just one kiss. Then we'll let you go. I'll even tell my partner here to give back your fancy stick."

     I had a feeling that even if I did kiss him, he still wouldn't let me go. I also had a feeling that even if I didn't kiss him, he'd kiss me anyway. I was stuck. There was no way out…

     __WHAM!__ The man was knocked backwards by a pair of feet. My savior turned to me and grinned. "Out to get some fresh air, huh, Dagger?"

     "Blank!" I cried out in relief.

     Instead of replying, he grabbed my hand and my racket, then jumped onto the crate and into the window. We ran through a corridor and into the sunshine, where I began to sob in relief. "It's not over yet," he warned. "Come on…we better get to the hideout, and fast." Tugging on my arm, we hurried through the busy street, then into another alleyway. "Hey…I think we're safe…"

     "Thanks for coming to my rescue, Blank." I gratefully took my racket from him. "Who were those guys, anyway?"

     "I don't know their names," he replied, "But they're part of a network of men who track down people that are alone and happen to go into dark places. They work in pairs, and take turns stealing the person's things and…" My eyes widened. He nodded. "You're lucky to get out alive…and unharmed."

     I glanced around. "Why are we here, then? Shouldn't we stay out on the open street?"

     "Two reasons." He leaned against the wall. "There are two of us, which is a match for the two of them. Reason number two—Alexandrian and Lindblum soldiers are on the lookout for you."

     "Please don't turn me in!" I begged. The last thing in the world I wanted to do was to go back into the care of Beatrix and Steiner, who would probably watch my every movement, and post such thick security another escape would be impossible.

     Blank shook his head. "I'm here to take you to Boss."

     "He knows why I escaped?"

     "Everybody knows why you escaped."

     I frowned. Were my motives always so obvious? "But you're still going to help me?"

     He shrugged. "We want to find Zidane as much as you do, even if he did quit Tantalus."

     "Well, well, so you're the missing Queen," a voice said. The two men I had been stalked by earlier jumped down. "I should've known. So pretty…of course, we'd like to have a little fun with you before we turn you in and get the reward money."

     "I'd have you murdered," I declared.

     He shook his head. "We're masters of disguise and hiding. You're lousy General couldn't find us if we stood in front of her."

     "Don't you dare talk about Beatrix like that!" I yelled. Blank drew his sword.

     "I don't recommend trying to fight us," he grinned evilly. More men appeared from the shadows.

     "Run!" Blank yelled, and we turned around and dashed for it.

     "Boo!" There was taunting laughter as more men blocked our way.

     Blank cursed. "We're surrounded." We both watched helplessly as the men creeped upon us like a pack of wolves, ready to devour their prey.

AN: This chapter is long. I think this stuff is pretty self-explanatory, so I'll go work on the next chapter. Make sure you tell me what you think!__


	11. Discovery

I'm Coming Back to You

Chapter 10- Discovery

Disclaimer: Great game. Not mine. Fair enough?

AN: Okay, I'm back with the next chapter. Fanfiction.net has been having a lot of "site overloads" and with my slow modem I was getting pretty frustrated. But I finally managed to get this up. Yay! Oh, yeah, what's been going on…

Zidane's finally figured out that there's this girl waiting for him. He's practically dumped Zeithi, who took it in the end fairly well ("dumped" is such a strong word; it was a mutual understanding), and is now out to look for Mikoto and Vivi, who he knows as "the other girl with the tail and the black mage". (Oh yeah, Garnet and Blank are right now being ambushed by a bunch of perverted, money-greedy freaks, but that continues on the next chapter!)

Key: _…_ emphasize (italicize)

       /…/ thoughts

       "…" words

       *…* action

     I wondered what had happened to Zeithi's fiancé. She seemed really hurt about it, and desperate to find someone to cover the pain up. I shook my head. /Sorry, Zeithi, but I'm not the one for you. Maybe you'll find someone else one day./

     The trees enclosed around me and I had a faint sense of claustraphobia. The Black Mage Village was nowhere in sight, and I was beginning to figure out that I might be lost. Sighing, I came to a fork in the road. I randomly picked a path and started to walk. To my surprise, I came to another fork in the road that looked familiar. /Am I walking in circles?/ I wondered. Choosing the same route, I walked and walked, coming upon more sets of crossroads. Finally, I was so tired I had to sit down.

     There were bird calls above me. I glanced up and yawned, munching on some of the food that Zeithi had given me. How was I ever going to find the Village at this rate? Zeithi had given me so vague directions I mentally slapped myself for not asking for more details. She had said to keep walking until I saw a Black Mage. Well, there were no Black Mages around here, so was I in the wrong place?

     Suddenly there was a rustle in the bushes. I held my breath. A mage appeared and began to saunter towards me. At first it musn't have noticed me, but I shifted my position, and it heard me. "Who's there?" it called out.

     First I hesitated, then stepped out of the bushes. /Was that a good idea?/ The mage glanced at my tail. "You know, you don't have to hide from me. You could've just told me that you wanted to enter the Village." He cast a spell and an opening appeared out of nowhere. I blinked, speechless, and followed him in. It closed behind me.

     "Are you new here?" it asked. "You kind of look familiar."

     "Umm…I don't think I've been here before." I looked around. There were small, cozy cottages. It almost looked like a town. Something tweaked in the back of my mind. Maybe I had. I couldn't remember. "It's nice, though."

     The Black Mage looked at me. "You're a genome, right? There's something strange about you. Like there's something strange about Mikoto. But there are only supposed to be three genomes with souls, and two of them are dead."

     What was a genome? "Mikoto?" I asked. The other girl with the tail…

     "Yeah. She's out somewhere with Master Vivi. You hungry?"

     I followed it into a shop, where the mage at the counter seemed busy. It was rummaging through cabinets. "Erm…what would you like?" it asked without looking up.

     "Whatcha got, No.163?" the mage beside me said.

     "We have—" it stood straight and was adjusting its pointed hat when it saw me. If we could see its mouth, it would probably be hanging open. "You've found him!"

     "What?" it looked at me, confused, then pointed a gloved thumb at me. "This guy?"

     "Quick!" The shop mage yelled at another one nearby, who had been dozing. "Wake up! Fetch Mikoto and Master Vivi! Tell them that we've found Master Zidane!"

     /Master Zidane?/

                                                            -0-0-0-0-0-

     "Zidane!" I turned around and saw the same girl that I had seen earlier when I had 'run away' from Zeithi. There were tears streaming down her cheeks. She threw her arms around me and squeezed so tight that I felt I was going to collapse from lack of breath. Suddenly she pulled away, an embarrassed blush tinting her face. "My apologies! I am almost never this emotional. I am simply very glad to see you."

     "Mikoto, right?" I said.

     She didn't seem to hear me. "Oh, General Beatrix has been up and about this area in a frantic search for you. We're all very happy we have found you. I am sure that Queen Garnet will be, too, once she gets word."

     /Huh? Garnet? Why would a Queen be happy that they "found" me?/

     "Kupo!" We all looked to see a moogle. "I'm sure we will all be happy as well when the Queen is found. She has run away to look for Zidane, kupo! Her captain has ordered a search for her."

     All the mages and people with tails that had gathered around were very shocked and sad. "Oh no," said one mage. It was a bit smaller than the rest—the mage that I had seen earlier with Mikoto. I remembered that his name was Vivi. "Dagger's missing? What'll we do?"

     I couldn't take it anymore. My brains were scrambled from trying to sort everything out so quickly. "Wait a second here!" Suddenly, all eyes were on me. "Umm…What is everyone talking about? Why did a Queen run away to see me? Why is this General looking for me? Whose daggers are missing?"

     One of the people gasped. Mikoto looked at me. "What? Is something the matter, Zidane?"

     "Yes, something is the matter!" I was so frustrated that I wanted to throw a fit.

     Mikoto just looked at me, and then her eyes softened. I watched as she suddenly seemed to feel all my anger, my bewilderment, and my desire to understand and be understood. "Something has happened, right, Zidane? Something has happened, and something is wrong. You are very confused. It is very strong around you." She looked around. "Come. We must sit, and you must tell me everything." She nodded to Vivi, and he and I followed her into an empty house, where she pulled up a few chairs and let us sit.

     "Start from whatever you can remember."

     That was difficult, because I had only dreams and snatches of my past, but I told her everything, from the time that I woke up in Zeithi's house. Mikoto listened carefully, seeming to feel the different feelings that I felt when I told of every event. Something was strange about the girl, the way that she was very quiet and reserved, but could sense almost every emotion raging inside of me. I finished at the incident of the yelling shopkeeper. "That was when you ran up to me and scared me by giving me a hug." I smiled.

     There was only a hint of a smile on her face, but her eyes sparkled a pretty shade of turquoise. "Again, my apologies. I did not know that you had amnesia." She frowned again. "It seems to be very serious. We must get you help. But who could we go to?"

     Vivi spoke up. "How about Doctor Tot? He's trying to help Freya with Sir Fratley's amnesia problems. Maybe he can figure out how to restore Zidane's memories."

     I looked at their faces, filled with hope, and I smiled again. Maybe they __could__ help me.

                                                            -0-0-0-0-0-

     "We would like this to be delivered to Regent Cid in Lindblum, please," Mikoto handed the note to the moogle. "Labeled urgent. Have I seen you before?"

     "No," she replied, "A few of us have been re-stationed, kupo. I'm a new recruit, and there are a lot of us around. I'm Mogkits." She took the folded sheet of paper. "Kupo, I'm afraid we won't be able to get this to Regent Cid right away."

     Vivi looked worried. "Is there another problem with Mognet Central?"

     "I think so. A few lines in our network have been cut. We'll do our best, though."

     "Is there anything we can do?" Mikoto also seemed concerned.

     Mogkits shook her head. "I'm afraid not, kupo. But we'll try to get back on track."

     "What's Mognet Central?" I asked Mikoto.

     "Mognet is how we get messages across Gaia, from one city to another. Moogles go to Mognet Central to pass the messages on to other moogles, who will give it to whoever the letter is addressed to."

     "Well, you see, it's different now," Mogkits said. "Before, we had to ask travelers to help us. But recently we have revamped the entire system so that we moogles can deliver the letters ourselves, kupo! Except, we made the change so quickly that there have been some problems."

     Mikoto frowned. "Mognet is very important, and if there is a problem in the system, many things can go wrong. I hope they can fix it."

     "Don't worry, Mikoto," Vivi assured her. "Everything is going to be just fine. We'll get Zidane back his memories and reunite him with Dagger. Then we'll all be happy."

     "Dagger?" I asked. They had been referring to a lot of people—General Beatrix, Freya and Sir Fratley, the Queen and her captain, Doctor Tot—and I couldn't help getting mixed up. And now there was strange new name. "I'm going to be reunited with __who_?"_

     Vivi looked at Mikoto, who shook her head. "Not yet, Vivi. If we feed him bits and pieces, he'll just get more and more confused."

     "But, Mikoto, the last time someone dumped a lot of information on Zidane at once, his attitude changed…dramatically."

     Still, she stood firm. "And anyway, we should not do anything yet. We need Dr. Tot's expertise and advice." I watched as Vivi agreed. "As soon as we hear word from Regent Cid, we shall take action. For now, Zidane, we shall show you your new room."

AN: I know you're probably used to long chapters, but I can't add anything more right now. What we've got is what we've got, and I need to work on Dagger's side of the story. I'm not sure about the whole numbering of Black Mages, but I'm pretty sure the shopkeeper was No.163. I hope that Mikoto doesn't seem too OOC either. ^.^ Reviews?


	12. Parallel

I'm Coming Back to You

Chapter 11- Parallel

Disclaimer: Mine! All mine! Mwahahahaha… hey, I can dream if I want to.

AN: Well, guys, this fanfic seems like it's gonna be a long one. Twenty chapters, maybe twenty-five. I'm still trying to think of how I'm gonna finish it off with a good ending. I'll try to make it good.

In the tenth chapter, Zidane, Mikoto, and Vivi are waiting for Mognet Central to work again, so that they can tell Regent Cid that Zidane's got amnesia and needs Doctor Tot's help. But this chapter is going to focus on Garnet, who has now gone back to her old alias as Dagger, and is now wandering around looking for Zidane. Presently, she's met up with Blank, and they are now surrounded by…very mean men.

Key: _…_ emphasize (italicize)

       /…/ thoughts

       "…" words

       *…* action

     "Blank, what do we do?" I hissed.

     "We can't run, we can't fight…we're out of options." He sounded defeated.

     "That's right, you are," the man that had tried to make me kiss him earlier sneered at Blank victoriously. He turned to his "buddies". "Get them!"

     Blank tensed. I bit my lip. What could I do? Calling an eidolon would probably crush them or scare them away, but the whole of Lindblum would see, and Uncle Cid and Beatrix would know that I was here. But what about my white magic…? Blank and I stood back-to-back as they advanced upon us. What spell could I use?

     "Get the boy. I'll take the Queen." The kissy-kissy man walked menacingly toward me.

     Now or never. I raised the racket.

     The man snickered. "Whatcha gonna do, Your Highness? Hit me on the head?"

     "I'd love to," I practically spat, "but I've got important ROYAL matters to attend to." I waved the racket and expertly chanted a spell.

     "What—ahh!!" Mr. Gimme-a-kiss clutched his eyes and began to stumble around. "Hey…I can't see anything! Hey!"

     One of his henchmen tried to jump upon us, but Blank deftly swung his blade and knocked him to the ground, as I quickly cast Confuse on the rest of them. "Let's go!"

     We must've been a sight, running through the streets; me, clutching the Tiger Racket with my flushed face hidden beneath the robe's hood and Blank, hastily trying to sheath his weapon while maneuvering through Lindblum citizens as we made our way to the "hideout".

     Finally, Blank led me into another alleyway, with an inconspicuous door and window. We both stood there for a moment, panting heavily, until Blank wiped his brow and glanced at my racket. "A hefty helpin' of Blind and Confuse, eh?"

     I shrugged. "Sometimes I wish I had the White Magic capabilities Eiko does. Would've been a joy to cook them up with Holy."

     "Too noticeable. The Lindblum guards would'a seen it. I wonder if they saw us running through the Theatre District like that—a couple of panicked oddballs."

     "Blank? Is that you? Did you find her?" Baku came out the door. When he saw me, he quickly ushered us in. "What took you so long?" he demanded, but didn't even wait for the answer. "They're desperate to find you. You're lucky you haven't been caught yet!"

     I put my hands on my hips. "Yet? I won't let them catch me until I want them to."

     "If that's what you want, then you've gotta be more careful." Baku was anxious. "We need to get ya out of Lindblum. This place is crawling with soldiers. Dali might be a good place to keep you in hiding."

     "Hiding?!" I shrieked. The last thing I wanted to do was be locked up in a house. "I don't want to __hide_! The reason I ran away was to find Zidane, and I can't look for him if I hide!"_

     Blank and Baku glanced at each other. "Maybe we could keep you safe until they stop looking for you," Blank offered.

     I snorted. "The only way they'll stop looking for me is if Steiner and Beatrix are __dead_. That's not going to work." Baku still had some disapproval, but I could see they knew that I was right._

     "Okay," Baku finally consented. "But we're gonna hafta change the way you look. Maybe Ruby can get ya some new clothes."

     "You'd better get to work on that, then," Blank said. "I'll tell Marcus and Cinna to get the Prima Vista ready, pronto. Next stop: Outer Continent; Iifa Tree."

                                                            -0-0-0-0-0-

     "Any sign of her, Steiner?" Beatrix asked as he entered the room.

     "No. We have done the best we can."

     Beatrix sighed and patted her bulging stomach. "Well, to catch a Queen, we have to think like one. Who do you think Garnet would have run to first?"

     "Perhaps one of her dear friends," Steiner suggested. "Say, would she have gone to Eiko?"

     "But how could Eiko help her?"

     Steiner shrugged. "Simply a thought."

     Beatrix looked at him thoughtfully, then smiled. "Steiner, schedule an immediate trip to Lindblum—four passengers. Arrange for two accompanying soldiers."

     "Only two? So who is the other passenger?"

     She stood and stretched. "Why, me, of course. And, just for good measure…why don't we ride the Red Rose?"

                                                            -0-0-0-0-0-

     "The Iifa Tree? But Beatrix already searched there! The only thing she came up with was a big hole and Kuja's dead body!"

     Marcus nodded. "We start where Zidane started. Hopefully it's not too late to pick up his trail from there. We don't aim to search for Zidane, Dagger. We're going to look for his footprints and follow wherever he went, and then catch up with him."

     "But wouldn't Zidane try to be heading back to the Queen?" Cinna piped up.

     "That's the point," Baku said. "If Zidane left the Iifa Tree when Beatrix found him missing, he would've already shown up at the palace already, otherwise he's got some kind of problem that's holding him up. We need to find Zidane and make sure that he's OK and not in any kind of danger."

     The plan was sounding good already, and deep down inside I hoped that it worked. It had to work. If I didn't find Zidane, dead or alive, I didn't know what I was going to do. The trip that Baku was making was even more dangerous, because they had a royal runaway in tow, which would mean that if my loyal guardians ever found out what they were doing, we'd all be in big trouble. "But why bring me along?" I said. "The people following me would just slow everyone down and make you guys have to be that much more cautious."

     "We don't want ya to get hurt, first of all," Baku replied. "We could use some of your White Magic. And you might as well come along with us—the more, the merrier, you know?"

     "Okay!" I said, excited they were ready to let me come along. "Let's go!"

     "Whoa, whoa, hold up." Marcus eyed me carefully. "You're not lookin' too good, Dagger. Maybe we should wait until tomorrow."

     What? Of course not! Zidane needed me now! "No, really! I'm fine, I can—"

     Baku shook his head. "Nah, Marcus is right. We'd better leave tomorrow. Cinna," he motioned to the Tantalus member who'd been heading for the cockpit, "never mind. Gear it up in the morning."

     I was silenced by their stern looks, and Blank said, "Here, we'll lead you to your room."

     The night air was chilly, but I didn't want to close the window. The stars blinked outside my window like a billion tiny little lights in the night sky. I folded my arms on the windowsill, a position I had come to adore, and rested my head. "Zidane?" I whispered. "Are you there? Can you hear me? Where are you? Well, wherever you are, and whatever you're doing, please remember that I love you, and that I can't wait to see you again." I closed my eyes. I wanted to see him again so badly that my insides ached whenever I thought about it. Tears sprang to my eyes. Furious, I wiped them away. I had to be strong. I couldn't break down and cry. I had this feeling in my heart that Zidane needed me to be strong for him, because he couldn't do it alone. He needed my support.

     The window closed with a thud, and I crawled into the warmth of the bed. We'd have to be up bright and early tomorrow, and circles were starting to appear under my eyes. With a sigh, I closed my eyes and let the comfort of sleep wash over me like a wave. /Zidane…I'll see you in my dreams…/

                                                            -0-0-0-0-0-

     "Lady Eiko, General Beatrix and Captain Steiner of Alexandria request an audience of you."

     "Why can't you just say that Beatrix and Steiner are here?" Eiko was in an especially bad mood today. The news that Dagger went missing had caught her off guard, and now she was mad as a hornet. "There you guys are! I was wondering when you were coming to see me!"

     Beatrix shook her head. "Eiko—we're wondering—"

     "No, she's not here with me," Eiko fumed. "What does Dagger think she's doing! Going off by herself, the idiot! I mean, running away with Zidane is one thing, but ALONE?!?! That's it, we're going to go look for her—"

     "Don't be ridiculous," Steiner interrupted. "We have all of Alexandria and Lindblum out for her. We do not need another Royal Princess out searching, too! Imagine what chaos would result if anything happened to you!"

     Eiko polished her Angel's Flute and faced Steiner defiantly. "No, YOU are being ridiculous. Ever heard the saying that it takes a thief to catch a thief? Well, it takes a summoner to catch a summoner." She winked. "And we all know there's only two summoners left on Gaia. And I'm one of them. So, when are we going?"

     Beatrix groaned. "Eiko, we don't want to get you into this whole mess."

     "So? You know that you need to get me in the mess anyway."

     She watched as the two commanding officers looked at each other, uncertain. Eiko smirked. /They'll have no choice. They know I'm stubborn, and if they said no, I'd find my own way./ "So…what'll it be?"

     Finally, Beatrix shrugged. "Sure, Eiko. It's fine with us. But, there's still one more question." The six-year-old raised an eyebrow. "Is it fine with the Regent?" The corners of her mouth collapsed. /Uh oh…/

                                                            -0-0-0-0-0-

     She was standing on a tower. A gentle breeze rustled her hair, and the sun bathed her in its peaceful warmth. She looked down to discover that she was very high above a field of flowers that shone in all its brilliance with every color of the rainbow. Birds circled above her, placing a crown of flowers in her hair and chirping their songs. The scene was enough to make her lethargic. She sighed with contentment. /Only one thing could make this better. One thing…if I could have Zidane. If Zidane were here, right next to me, this would all be perfect. Just perfect./

     Then, out of the blue, came a loud, booming, and not too kind voice: "Ahaha! There's only one reason for this, you know. Zidane would be here next to you, but he isn't. Do you remember that day? Zidane chose to see Kuja instead of stay with you. That means he doesn't care enough about you."

     The doubt flickered in her mind, but she yelled, "No! Zidane loves me!"

     "Maybe, but obviously his dying brother was more important than you were. Zidane doesn't care about you, Sara. He thought the destructor of Gaia was worth more than you are. Face it! Zidane thinks that you're dirt. Zilch. Nothing at all! He probably doesn't even know that you exist!"

     "Liar!" she screamed, but it wasn't even half-hearted anymore.

     "He's probably somewhere, surrounded by pretty ladies, drunk and perfectly happy without you. He doesn't need you. He doesn't want you. He doesn't care about your feelings. He doesn't care whether you're worrying and waiting for him. He only cares about himself, and nobody else! Especially you!"

     There was a tremendous flash of lighting, and suddenly the calm, serene place she had been standing in warped and changed. The sunlight was blocked out by dark clouds, which did not rain, but poured out its fury in bolts of electricity and roars of thunder. The flowers in her hair became slimy, crawling bugs and worms. She screamed and flailed her arms, trying to dislodge the insects from her hair, but tripped and fell over the edge of the tower, and only barely managed to grab and hold on. The field of flowers became a raging sea, waves crashing against the pillar, threatening to swallow her in its depths. She screamed for her dear life.

     "Ahahahaha!" the voice cackled. "Where's your Zidane now? Is he going to save you?"

     The sky flashed with an image of Zidane, a pair of scantily-dressed ladies clinging to his waist, his eyes half-closed and a silly grin on his face, while he walked around in a drunken stupor and laughing like he hadn't a care in the world.

     "No! Zidane!" she was crying now.

     "You see what I mean?" the owner of the voice was clearly enjoying himself.

     Instead of playful birds, shrieking bats swooped down and began to attack her, scratching and ripping her dress, biting her, flapping their rancid wings in her face, and caused her to lose her grip. With a final cry, she dropped towards the unwelcoming waters below, her last word, "NOOOOOOOOO!"

AN: Again, emphasizing the obsession. I really hope it's not coming across badly. It's nearly been a month and all. Hmm… Garnet is starting to get long chapters now. ^.^ Not really a bad thing, at least for you. For me, it means tedious hours trying to develop some sort of story that will maybe interest you enough to catch a review or two. Heehee. Did I managed to get some this time?


	13. Perpedicular

I'm Coming Back to You

Chapter 12- Perpendicular

Disclaimer: Let's analyze this word, shall we? "Dis-" is a prefix meaning "separation", "negation", or "reversal". "Claim", our root word, has the definition of "to demand something as your rightful property". Finally, the suffix "-er" means "one that ____." Roughly, a Disclaimer is "one that is the reversal of a demand of something as your rightful property". So, a Final Fantasy IX Disclaimer is something that basically says, "This isn't mine." Confused? Rightfully so. ^.^

AN: Instead of jumping back to Zidane, we're gonna head back to Dagger!! Yeah, her part is starting to get interesting, too…

Key: _…_ emphasize (italicize)

       /…/ thoughts

       "…" words

       *…* action

     "You okay?"

     I turned and smiled, but he could see that it was fake. It faded as fast as it had come. "No, not really…"

     "Ya didn't seem up to it this morning, either."

     "I know, Marcus…"

     He frowned. "Don't like the clothes Ruby sent over?"

     "No! No, it's not that. They're lovely. They're way better than the rags that I packed, and I really feel like I fit in."

     "You still tired?"

     "A little." The fact was I hadn't gotten that much sleep last night, due to my dream. I probably woke up at 4 or 5 in the morning until Cinna came in a few hours later, only to find me already awake, drenched with sweat, and shivering. I'd taken a nice warm shower and slipped on Ruby's clothes, but the memory of the dream haunted me.

     Cinna had promised not to tell any of the gang, so they wouldn't get worried. Marcus didn't know and didn't understand, so all he said was, "Don't worry. Zidane'll be with us all before we know it!"

                                                            -0-0-0-0-0-

     "Are you completely positive, General, that you don't wish to return to Alexandria?" Steiner was eyeing her bulging stomach. It wasn't particularly big, but if you knew she was pregnant, you'd notice. In fact, Beatrix had had to remove some of the tight armor that went around her front and waist to accommodate the slight swelling.

     "Yes! I changed my mind about what I said. I want to be in the thick of the search. This is your Queen, as well as mine. Agh, I'm not even very late in the pregnancy, and I have to go with my stomach unguarded. Why don't they make maternity battle armor?"

     "Beatrix, __you're__ the only person I know who'd wage a war while pregnant," Eiko said, leaning over the side of the Red Rose. "Hey, so where we headed?"

     "I don't know, Master Tracker," Beatrix replied. "I thought you were the one who knew a summoner's thoughts. Anyway, we're heading for Alexandria, since we haven't gotten any orders from you yet."

     Eiko twirled her Angel's Flute. "Let's see… If __I__ escaped from Lindblum to go looking for Zidane—assuming I was still madly in love with him—I would try to look for him where he started. Which is, of course, the Iifa Tree."

     "We've already searched the Iifa Tree!" Steiner exploded. "The General and I have been there countless times—we have put up posters, signs, and talked to everyone. Surely he is not there!"

     "__You__ and __Beatrix__ have been there, Mr. Rusty Pants, but Dagger hasn't. She's probably gonna make ABSOLUTE POSITIVE SURE that he's not there before moving on to somewhere else."

     Steiner grunted at the nickname, but he'd gotten used to taking the brunt of it from Zidane. "Alright then. General, request permission to instruct pilot to redirect destination."

     "Just do it, Captain. Just do it." Beatrix sighed and they both watched him clank into the cockpit. "Eh, why doesn't he give it up, ya know?"

     Eiko grinned and came over to Beatrix, gingerly patting her stomach. "Does it feel cool to know that you're gonna be a mother soon, Beatrix?"

     She saw a joyous smile on the General's face, one that hadn't existed since Garnet's disappearance. "Yeah. It even kinda gives me a euphoric feeling."

     "Who's the father?"

     Beatrix gave Eiko a careful, almost hesitant look. Then she turned slowly and walked away, towards the back of the Red Rose. "Tell me when we get there, Eiko," was all she called over her shoulder.

                                                            -0-0-0-0-0-

     "Beatrix was right," I said, rummaging through the leaves. "Kuja's body is right here—don't worry, I won't touch it—and the Iifa Tree __has__ been moving."

     "Look what I found!" Cinna called from the opposite end of the chamber. "A bottle. Must've held a Potion, or even a Hi-Potion. Seems like Zidane drank from it, too." He gave it to Blank, who was waiting on the surface with a bag, ready to collect clues.

     "Anything else down there?" Baku called.

     Marcus was in another corner, examining a root. "Hey, look over here, Dagger. Do you recognize this?" He pointed to a wound in the side of the root. It was almost a thick, straight line, seeming to go into the root. "If my knowledge of weapons is alright, this isn't an ordinary crack."

     I gasped. "Yeah, that's about as thick and wide as the Ultima Weapon! Zidane made that."

     "Must've made the Iifa Tree mad," Cinna put in. He turned toward the opening. "That's all, Boss. Nothing else, except for a few trodden patches where those Alexandrian troops must've wandered."

     They all climbed out, seemingly discouraged. "Zidane could've gone to Conde Petie, or the Black Mage Village. Or…he could've been swallowed up by the earth." Baku pointed to an enormous fissure. Everyone winced. Baku grinned. "Hey, but we've got no evidence of that either, huh? So we're hopin' for the best. How about we head up to Conde Petie? Cinna, fire up the ship, will ya."

     I looked back down into the hole that we had searched. Zidane had definitely been in there. He had definitely gotten out, as well, but the trail ended there. The only options we had were blind, random search, just as Beatrix had been resorted to. And she hadn't come up with anything at all.

                                                            -0-0-0-0-0-

     "General, the Iifa Tree is in sight," the pilot said.

     "Good!" She came to stand beside him at the controls. "Now, come in carefully, and land right next to the hole. You know which one. Oh, we're on the wrong side. Well, just come up close to the Iifa Tree, and follow it around."

     Eiko came running from the deck. "Beatrix! I hear some whirring noise."

     "It's just the Red Rose. We're getting ready to turn, so it's warming up."

     Steiner came too. "I am sorry, General, but it is not the Red Rose. I think it may be—"

     "Agh!" the pilot suddenly yelled, and yanked the steering wheel to the left. "Whoa!" Everyone shouted, abruptly falling to the side.

     "Ahhh!" Eiko screeched, arms pinwheeling. "What—you lousy pilot! What are you doing?!"

     "My baby! My baby!" Beatrix was screaming, hopelessly off balace and bumping into a crate. This caused Steiner to panic, and he knocked Eiko to the ground.

     "Get off me, ya big clankin' lug!" Eiko shouted, wriggling out from underneath Steiner and hurried to the pilot. "What are you—ahh!"

     A huge airship was beside them, and they were only meters from a collision. "Up! Up! Up!" Eiko screamed in the pilot's ear as he yanked the controls. Everyone, even the pilot, was thrown backwards, and Eiko—who righted herself first—was scrambling for the controls. "Ahhh! We're gonna hit 'em!!!"

                                                            -0-0-0-0-0-

     "We've lifted, Boss," Blank said, coming from the cockpit. "Cinna wanted to drive."

     "He doesn't even know where Conde Petie is," Baku muttered. "Where's the Queen?"

     "Up top, with Marcus and the band. I'm headin' there right now."

     "Yeah," Baku replied. "I'm comin' up, too. Just gimme a sec while I check on Cinna." Blank disappeared up the steps while Baku made his way to where Cinna had the controls. "Everything all right?"

     "Yeah, Boss."

     Marcus came running down. "Boss, I hear somethin' strange."

     "Huh?" Baku looked around. "I don't. Cinna, did you check everything?"

     "I even double-checked," Cinna said. "It's not us. Or at least, it shouldn't be. It could be the—aaaah!" Suddenly, another airship came into view. "It's—it's the Red Rose!"

     Baku cursed and hastily waved to Marcus. "Secure the Queen! Hurry up, and—whoa!" Cinna had made a sharp right, as sharp as the big heavy airship could turn, and everything began to slide left. "Go!" Baku shouted. "Now!"

     Marcus dodged a box and ran for the Queen, shouting "Bro!" along the way.

                                                            -0-0-0-0-0-

     I drank in the warmth of the sunshine, my earlier stress gone momentarily. "It's such a pretty day, Blank. I'm so glad I'm out here instead of in my stuffy castle. Not that I don't like the castle, it's just that…it's stuffy." I sighed, and looked at Blank, but he wasn't paying attention. "Blank? Are you okay?"

     Blank was looking around. "Marcus was right. I hear it."

     "I don't hear anything. What—ahhh!!" We were both thrown to the left side of the airship. I was screaming and flailing, but suddenly Blank stifled me with his hand.

     "Shhh!" He said, and we were both tossed to the side of the ship again. "Don't yell!" he said as he tumbled by me, and I held my tongue, grabbing onto the railing and landing with a thud on my rear.

     Blank was halfway hanging on the edge, and suddenly he yelled, "I know that ship! It's the Red Rose!"

     "What?!" I shrieked, and toppled to center stage, only to be scooped up by Marcus. "It's the __Red Rose__, Marcus! Beatrix is here!!!"

     "Shhhh!" Marcus prompted. "Quiet, they'll hear you—oo—oh!" We rolled to the front of the stage, and I panicked when I felt I was slipping from Marcus's strong grip. He grunted and grabbed for me, but I had already flipped over the railing and was plummeting into the forest below. I tried to scream for help but I was already engulfed by the leaves. The last thing I heard was Blank, saying, "Where'd she go?!"

     Everything went black.

AN: Ah, pretty suspenseful stuff there. A little bit of information on Beatrix and her baby, which is basically a short, subtle advertisement for the fanfic I'm planning on writing about her. I'm not too sure about it yet, though. I still gotta finish this one, okay?! Hehe. I'm not too good with writing several fanfiction at once, because I usually get frustrated, then bored, and I drop all the projects at once. So, lemme work one at a time. Oh, and if you liked it, didn't like it, or want to say something, please review. If you don't fit in any of those three categories, but you read my 'fic, please review anyway. Hehe, thank you for reading, I'll get the next one up soon.


	14. Complications

I'm Coming Back to You

Chapter 13- Complications

Disclaimer: Man, I've run out of ideas to make this thing interesting. Final Fantasy IX is not mine, it belongs to Square, now Square Enix. So bugger off and read my 'fic.

AN: Well, I'm finally up with the 13th chapter! WoOHOo! No, really, this is a feat. I usually get to the second chapter, maybe the third, and then I ditch the whole damn thing. Ya know? I gotta celebrate here. Oh, by the way, couldn't have done it without all your awesome reviews.

Where are we right now? Uhh, Dagger just fell into the woods of the Outer Continent because the Prima Vista turned sharply and kinda tossed her overboard. Zidane's part in the story is much less interesting, so let's spice it up, shall we?

Key: _…_ emphasize (italicize)

       /…/ thoughts

       "…" words

       *…* action

     I still didn't get all that was happening to me. It was so new, so weird, and so confusing. My brain throbbed every time I thought of it. I didn't have anymore past-related dreams, which was odd and pretty disappointing. I wanted to know more, but no one would tell me. Most of the Black Mages look upon me with pitying looks, but I'm not mad, really. They know something about me—something about how I used to be. I just wish I knew it, too.

     We'd gotten a letter from Regent Cid. He had spoken with Doctor Tot, who had agreed to the whole thing. Everyone had been happy for me, at that moment. Also, included in the letter, was a little P.S. asking Mikoto, Vivi, and all the Black Mages and genomes to keep quiet about the whole ordeal on me. Especially not to tell this girl they called "Dagger", or the Queen and all of her soldiers and court, or this girl they called "Lady Eiko". I don't know why they don't want to tell "Lady Eiko"—her name just came up, all of a sudden, and I'm just stuck here wondering why everyone is after me. Considering the twenty-thousand people on my tail, it's surprising I actually had to __work__ to have myself found.

     Mikoto sent another letter to Lindblum; only it wasn't addressed to Regent Cid this time. We apparently needed an airship to get me to Treno—thank God I remember what airships are—and the Regent Cid didn't have an airship to spare. Mikoto was pretty surprised, upon Vivi telling her this, and said, "Why does that oglop/frog/creature not have an airship to spare, when he has about ten million of them?!" I didn't really understand it, but it was the first time I'd seen her angry. They said something about "Red Rose" and "General Beatrix", but then dropped the idea. This general was obviously on the Not-to-Tell list. Vivi finally offered, "How about the Theatre Ship?" Everyone seemed happy about that. Mogkits agreed to have the letter to "Tantalus" as quickly as possible, even with all the Mognet problems. So I guess all I could do was sit around and wait.

                                                            -0-0-0-0-0-

     Both airships settled down near the woods of the Outer Continent, and the crew of each scrambled out into the sand. The pilot and a couple of soldiers stood side by side as Beatrix, Steiner, and Eiko trudged towards Tantalus, who looked wary and a bit nervous.

     "What are you doing here?!" Eiko demanded.

     Baku's voice was cool and collected. "Searching for Zidane, of course! What did you expect? Treasure-hunting?"

     "Unless Kuja's body is a treasure, then, no," Beatrix put in. "You're probably wondering why __we're__ here."

     "Nope," Marcus said. "We all know about the Queen's escape. Lindblum's been crawling with soldiers ever since, you know."

     Steiner said, "We were under the impression that Her Majesty may be here. Have you seen any sign of her?"

     "No," all of them said quickly.

     No one seemed to notice. "Well, I guess we should be going then." Eiko looked disappointed. "You positive?" All of Tantalus nodded. "Do you have any idea where she could be, then?"

     "Dali," Blank replied hastily. To Beatrix and Eiko's curious looks, he added, "I've heard of some weird stuff going on there and all. And you don't have any troops there, either, so she probably slipped by everyone without being recognized."

     Beatrix looked to Eiko and Steiner. "Sounds good." They all climbed back into the Red Rose. Tantalus watched as the airship ascended into the sky, and finally released their breaths.

     "Fast thinkin' there, Blank," Cinna said, scratching his head. "But now what? The Queen is gone—"

     "Baku! Blank! Marcus! Cinna!" they all turned to see Mikoto running up to them, an enormous smile on her face. She stopped in front of all four and looked overjoyed. "I am so glad that you got my letter! Are you willing to transport to Treno? Well, of course you are, why else would you be here—"

     "What are you talking about?" Baku interrupted.

     She looked at him oddly. "The letter. You are here to take Zidane to Treno, right? Or…"

     At the word "Zidane" all four of them nearly jumped on her.

     "Zidane? What are you talking about—"

     "Have you seen him—"

     "Is he all right—"

     "What about Treno again—"

     "Where is he—"

     "Can we see him—"

     "We thought he was dead—"

     "Wait until Dagger hears—"

     And then they all stopped and chorused, "Dagger!" They told Mikoto the whole story.

     "Oh no," she said. "Well, first of all, we need you to take Zidane to Treno via airship. I will explain along the way. We will get the Black Mages to search the forest for Dagger. Hurry!"

                                                            -0-0-0-0-0-

     I sat on the grassy turf, wondering what was taking Mikoto so long. One of the Black Mages had come in to tell her about an airship that had landed nearby. Overjoyed, she had rushed out of the village to meet them. Now I was stuck here, mulling over my thoughts and half-excited that I was on my way to getting my memory back.

     "Zidane! Someone's here to meet you."

     Mikoto was back. I stood up to smile at her and saw four very familiar faces.

     Not familiar because I remembered them. They were familiar from my dream.

     We stood in silence, staring at each other. All four's eyes were wide. One of them, the one with the fiery red hair, took a step towards me, and looked like he wanted to hug me. I stepped back instinctively, and everyone's faces fell. "Mikoto's right," the biggest one said. "He doesn't remember us."

     I glanced at Mikoto, and suddenly I saw that she felt all my fear, confusion, and my cry for help. She turned away from me and gestured to each one in turn. "Here, Zidane. These are some old comrades of yours. This is Baku, Cinna, Marcus, and Blank. I know you probably do not remember them, but they will be your ride to Treno."

     I shook each of their hands and saw the pain in all their eyes. "I'm sorry," I told them all. "I wish I could remember you. I really do."

     "We know, Zidane," Marcus said. "Don't worry. We'll help ya get your memory back."

     All I could do was smile nervously, and Mikoto picked up from there. "When will you be available to take Zidane?"

     "We can work it in for tomorrow," Baku told her. "We really didn't have plans. Well, we got none now, since the Queen is MIA right now. Do a good job of finding her, ya hear?"

     Cinna spoke up, "Boss, if—I mean, when—they do find her, what are they gonna say about Zidane?"

     Baku bowed his head. We were all quiet, waiting for his reply. Then he looked up and gravely said, "Tell her that he's…he's dead. And that she should return to Alexandria immediately."

     Everyone gasped. I looked around at the circle of sad faces and said, "Hey…but when I get my memory back and everything, won't she just keel over when she figures out I'm alive? I don't want to kill the girl or anything—"

     Blank laughed, almost mirthlessly. "Don't worry about it. She'll keel over either way."

     "Yeah," said Baku. "If we tell her you're dead, then she won't bother escaping again and looking for you. Most importantly, she won't head over to Doctor Tot, and then see you, kooky and with no idea about her. Don't wanna break her heart one million times." Everyone was silent. He continued: "Okay, gang. We'll crash here for the night. Then, tomorrow—Treno!"

     I was very nervous that night. Tomorrow was a big day. I was also suffering from a small case of insomnia. I tossed and turned in bed, then stared at the ceiling. I remembered the song, the sweet song, and decided to try and sing it.

In my dearest memories, I see you reaching out to me

Though you're gone, I still believe that you can call out my name

A voice from the past joining yours and mine

Adding up the layers of harmony

And so it goes, on and on

Melodies of life-to the sky beyond the flying birds

Forever and beyond.

                                                            -0-0-0-0-0-

     It was dark. Not pitch-black dark, like one of my previous dreams, but it definitely wasn't the middle of the day. There was that boy again, the one that looked like me. He was sitting on a bed, and was talking to somebody—the girl. It was the same girl, except her hair was much longer, reaching for her waist. She seemed to be paying a lot of attention to the boy. Suddenly, as if someone had flipped on a switch, I could hear what they were saying.

     "—upon a time, there was a man," the boy was saying. Oh, great. A little kiddie story. Well, I was apparently stuck in this dream, so I might as well listen up. "There was a man who didn't know where he came from…" The voice clicked off, just as quickly. I was starting to get annoyed.

     Suddenly, there was a young version of me, running around in a place I didn't recognize. A few sentences flickered to my hearing. "He wanted to know more about himself, maybe." Yes! That's what I wanted. To know more…

     "His only clue was the blue light he saw in his dreams…" Blue light? What was that supposed to mean? Then, there was a scene with a big man…yes, the one I saw today. Cinna, wasn't it? Wait, no, that was Baku. "This is my home. This is the place I call home."

     I awoke with a start.

                                                            -0-0-0-0-0-

     "Oh! That Blank! I hate him!"

     "I cannot believe you believed him!" Steiner shouted. "We should have never listened to him, never have come here—"

     "Oh, shutup!" Eiko said. "It's all your fault!!! You shouldn't have asked them about Dagger in the first place! They've probably got her on board, in tow—"

     "Will you two please stop acting like—" Beatrix stopped. "Wait…what was that, Eiko? They…They probably have her on board! Why was I so stupid, as to not…oh! Quick, on the Red Rose! Back to the Iifa Tree!"

     The pilot shook his head. "Not a splendid idea, General. The Red Rose is spent. We need more water for steam, and it may take the proper liquids overnight to arrive in Dali."

     "There are several other airships here, are there not?" Beatrix looked around frantically.

     Eiko frowned. "Beatrix, maybe you should calm down. Anyway, Tantalus probably high-tailed it out of there by now. And it's not good for you, anyway—all this stress." She looked to Steiner, who nodded. "See? Even Rusty here agrees. Let's spend the night here, or something."

     Beatrix had no choice but to agree.

                                                            -0-0-0-0-0-

     /I really miss Zid. I mean, Zidane… I hope he finds the girl he's looking for./ Zeithi was wandering around, picking berries for another lonely meal, when she heard a whirring sound. "Familiar…" she muttered to herself. "It's an airship…" Absently, she began to walk in the general direction of the sound. Suddenly, she heard faint screaming, and it was getting louder—and louder—and louder—

     __Crackle, Crackle, Crackle_…_Thud_._

     /Huh?!/ She rushed toward the noise, only to find something buried beneath brambles and bushes and…was that…a hand?

AN: Dun Dun Dunnnn…yeah. Pretty cool stuff with a pretty long chapter, to boot. Benero and Zenero are completely lacking… I'm sorry about it, but I guess we could classify them with the band. Hmmm… oh, yeah, you notice I'm putting the song back in. Actually, I jammed it in a few chapters back, too. If you read the story anytime before I posted this chapter, then you were probably very annoyed that I repeated the song so much. Well—guess what! I fixed it. Just those parts—everything else about the chapters have not been edited. I'm trying to divide the song up evenly throughout my 'fic. I repeated parts of it sometimes, and it might still get annoying, but hopefully it's going to be less annoying. Yay!


	15. Lies

I'm Coming Back to You

Chapter 14- Lies

Disclaimer: Ah, you see? The title of this chapter is "Lies". So I'm gonna lie to you. I own Final Fantasy IX!!! Hehe. (Don't I wish. --And that's not a lie!)

AN: Ah, I'm back. With another chapter. I'll keep my AN short this time…you probably don't wanna listen to my ramblings and wanna just get on with reading. Hey, if I were you, I would, too!

Key: _…_ emphasize (italicize)

       /…/ thoughts

       "…" words

       *…* action

     "Zidane chose to stay with Kuja instead of you."

     "Zidane thinks that you're dirt."

     "He doesn't need you. He doesn't want you."

     "Ahahahaha! Where's your Zidane now?"

     "NOOOOOOOOO!"

     "Wake up! Wake up! Hey, are you okay? Wake up!"

     I nearly leapt out of my bed. "He doesn't love me. He doesn't want me. He hates me. He—"

     "Hey, hey, calm down!" I looked up to see a pretty girl, with brown hair, and sparkly eyes, and— "You're all red and sweaty. What is this, the insomnia room? You know, my last guest couldn't sleep well in here either." She was suddenly silent, with a faraway look, as if reminiscing. I looked at her curiously. Then she seemed to snap out of it. "Ah! All in the past now. Oh, sorry, my name is Zeithi. How about you?"

     "I'm G… Dagger. My name is Dagger."

     "Oh, thank GAWD you know your name. You know, if you didn't, you would've given me a heart attack. I would've pinched myself." She laughed. Her laughter sounded sweet and beautiful, like chimes in the wind. "Oh, well. I bet you're hungry. You like broth?"

     I nodded. "Thanks so much. I need something warm." I looked at her funny. She talked an awful lot. She seemed to notice the stare, and smiled. "I'm sorry…I…"

     "I know, I know. I'm babbling, right? It's just been a while since I had company, much less __female__ company, and it's just exhilarating to have someone to talk to besides a wall." She frowned. "Is it annoying you?"

     "No, no!" I said. "Not at all." Actually, her voice was very relaxing. Everyone I had spoken to recently had been strained or stressed, but she was carefree, comfortable and happy. I liked to listen to it—it was like her attitude was contagious, and I caught it almost instantly.

     She smiled in relief. "Great! Well, you know, I'll go get your food."

     I watched her go, and tried to remember what happened. Tantalus—the airship—the Red Rose—falling off the stage—landing in the bushes, and getting knocked out—and then, I suppose Zeithi found me. Speaking of Zeithi, she returned with the bowl and handed it to me. I ate it carefully, and silently. Finally, she said, "Wow, you eat like a princess or something."

     "Huh?" I said, slightly panicked.

     "It's just that, you eat so clean and carefully. Look, you didn't even spill anything!"

     "Well, my mother always wanted me to be neat," I replied quickly. "Listen, Zeithi, I was wondering if you could tell me where we were. I mean…are we still on the Outer Continent?"

     She nodded. "Yeah. My house is in the middle of a forest. The Iifa Tree's not far from here, but you were thrown awfully far. I thought I heard an airship. Was that…?" I nodded. "Oh. I see. Well, I found you in a clump of bushes, dragged you home, and patched you up. You're still probably a little sore, but not in bad shape."

     "Thank you," I said again. My head began to throb, and I leaned back against the pillowcase. "I…I'm…"

     She gently took the empty bowl from me and stood. "You're still a bit dizzy. Hey, I'll leave you to rest, okay?" She closed the door behind her.

     I snuggled into the comfortable bed and remembered something Zeithi had said earlier. /What was it? '…my last guest…'/ My eyes widened. /Could she…Could she mean Zidane?/

                                                            -0-0-0-0-0-

     Zeithi had left the house and was now wandering around in the open fields, looking for any sign of an airship. /I better find that girl's friends…they're probably looking for her./ Then, she sighed. /Who am I kidding? I'm doing this 'cause I wanna see Zidane again…/ She walked through the sand in the direction of the Iifa Tree.

     There. That whirring sound again. She glanced up, shading her eyes from the sun, and saw the giant boat lift into the sky. "Hey…HEY!!!" She yelled, running towards the steam-operated vessel and waving her arms wildly. "Hey! Wait!! Your…friend…" The airship was gone. "Great…now what?" She looked around for help, and, finding none, decided to make her way back to the cottage.

                                                            -0-0-0-0-0-

     I heard a noise from the kitchen. "Zeithi…is that you?"

     "Huh? Yeah, it's me." She popped her head through the doorway. "Need something?"

     "Umm…I just wanted to ask you something, really fast…"

     "Oh, sure, anything." She came inside the room and sat down, her eyebrows raised expectantly.

     I took a deep breath. This could be the moment I've been waiting for. "You…you know how you said that you had another guest in here, a while ago? And I was thinking also, about how you rather implied you hadn't had female company in a while. Could that mean…your last guest…was a male?"

     "Yeah, he was a guy. Why do you ask?"

     My heart was caught in my throat. "What did he look like? And did he…tell you…his name?"

     Zeithi was quiet for a moment. She bit her lip and looked at me, long and hard. Finally, she said, "You're that queen, aren't you? The queen that's missing."

     What?! How did she know that Alexandria's queen had gone? She lived in such a remote place, with no one around, how did she— "How did you know about that?"

     "I heard it from some dwarves, in Conde Petie. They were, gossiping, and I, umm, you know, eavesdropped a little. And after seeing you eat so neatly…" She paused, then curtseyed quickly. "It's an honor, Your Majesty, to have you in my humble home."

     I sighed. Even somewhere smack in the middle of nowhere, Beatrix managed to make my absence known. "Please," I pleaded, "Don't turn me back in! I know, there's a reward and everything, but I beg of you—"

     Zeithi laughed, of course, with her pretty laugh. "I'm not interested in money."

     "Oh, thank you so much!" I was so relieved. So far, people I've met up with didn't seem to want to return me to my throne. And I was glad. But there was still a question that Zeithi hadn't answered. "Please, can you tell me about your last visitor? Was he…did he have blonde hair? It's short-cropped… He has a tail, and he calls himself 'Zidane'. Oh, and he has blue eyes, amazingly blue eyes…rich and with a tint of green, as the sea… And he's so kind, and handsome, and thoughtful, and loveable…"

     I looked up to see Zeithi, with an odd, strange look on her face. "No," she said finally. "My last visitor was an old man with white hair; I think he was a traveler. He didn't have a tail…and no, I didn't think him handsome or loveable… Oh, his eyes. I don't remember the color. Brown, I think?" She frowned. "He didn't tell me his name."

     My heart sank. She hadn't seen Zidane. "Oh…well, then, sorry to bother you."

     She didn't seem to hear me. She was looking out the window. "I…I have to… Oh, you look tired." She sighed. "You'd better just stay here and relax…I'm gonna…I'm gonna stand outside. You know, on guard. For…for whatever." She got up quickly, absently, and left the room.

     I was glad to be left alone. Right then, I started to cry. Tears streamed down my cheeks, and I hugged my pillow desperately. Why me? Why couldn't I just find Zidane, and be happy, and get all this sadness over with? I wiped away each tear and moaned to myself quietly. I wish I'd never left the castle. I wish I'd never met Zidane. I wish…

     I wish I'd never fallen in love.

                                                            -0-0-0-0-0-

     She was sitting in that spot again. The spot where they had sat together, side by side, and she had professed her love to him. And he had refused her, albeit gently. And although her speech to him (before he left) had been sincere, she hadn't forgotten him just yet. In fact, she still wished he would've stayed with her and forgotten about the other girl.

     /Oh yeah, and while we're on the topic of the "other girl", let's talk about her more, shall we? She's beautiful, she's sweet, and she's so __nice__. Oh, not to mention she's a queen. And, did I forget to mention, she's IN MY HOUSE, RIGHT NOW?!/

     Zeithi glanced at the door of her cottage, where she knew that behind it (and a few other doors) lay her rival. Well, Queen Garnet, who called herself "Dagger", was obviously very much in love with Zidane. And Zeithi couldn't compete with that, because she knew, deep down in his heart, Zidane loved Garnet back. And Zeithi was jealous.

     /Yeah…jealousy. That's what made me lie to her—that poor, heartbroken soul. Somehow…I couldn't bring myself to tell her the truth./ Sure, Zeithi felt remorse. But she couldn't tell Garnet about Zidane.

     She knew she was being selfish, and that one day Garnet would find out the truth. Zidane would get his memory back, sooner or later, and Garnet would ask him how he escaped from the Iifa Tree. He would tell her about Zeithi. And her secret would be exposed. And Garnet would hate Zeithi for the rest of her life…

     /Zidane…am I doing the right thing?/

AN: Again, this chapter is pretty self-explanatory. So I'll just get to work on the next one!


	16. Tears

I'm Coming Back to You

Chapter 15- Tears

Disclaimer: Yes. Tears. That's what's falling down my cheeks as I think of how I wish I could own Final Fantasy IX. Which I don't, by the way—if you haven't noticed yet. Square/Enix owns it. Yipee. Good for them. Not too good for me.

AN: That's umm, "Tears". Like crying tears. Not like the tears in your shirt or your pants. Man, I hate homographs. For some reason grammar isn't my favorite subject, but I still write stories. The mysteries of life never cease to…mystify me.

Oh, yeah…we were somehow back to Zeithi, who I wasn't about to give up just yet. "Why," you are probably asking, "is Zeithi back into the picture? I thought it was just: 'love Zidane and get dumped by him' and then POOF! she was no more." Well, you see… I didn't want to just create a character, with so much storyline and substance potential, use her for a couple of chapters, and then drop her all together. No, I'm not that merciful. I'm gonna finish developing her and show you a little bit more about her before I let her settle down in peaceful contentment. Hehe.

Key: _…_ emphasize (italicize)

       /…/ thoughts

       "…" words

       *…* action

     I had been up and about shortly after waking up, and had been helping Zeithi pick berries and set the table; minor tasks. She wouldn't let me wash the dishes, or sweep the floors—"You're a Queen," she insisted. "Anyways, I can take care of it." She waved me off as she stepped into the kitchen. I was mostly relieved—I'd never washed dishes or swept the floor before.

     I was planning to leave the next day, but for now, I enjoyed Zeithi's lenient, rugged company. We chatted about a lot of different things. Zeithi told me how she used to live in Alexandria and how much fun she'd used to have.

     "My little sister loved to jump rope. It was her absolute favorite pastime. She and her friends would stand at the street corner and skip rope all day, and sometimes it looked so fun I'd even join them. My mother…she loved Gysahl Pickles to death. She couldn't live without them. She said that every time she was pregnant with one of us, she always craved Gysahl Pickles. Oh, how I used to love mama's stories…" She sighed. "How about you?"

     "My mother died, too."

     "Oh…oh yeah. I forgot. I'm so sorry."

     "It's alright. I loved my mother very much, and I'm sure she loved me a lot, too. I learned most everything I know from her. She's not my biological mother, though. My real father and mother died a long time ago. I don't remember either of them."

     "Are you sad about that?"

     "Yes, of course. But, sometimes I realize how nicely things turned out despite all that happened in the past…"

     Zeithi looked at me approvingly. "You know, for a Queen, you're not half bad."

     I was appalled. "Excuse me?"

     "Oh, no, no. That's not what I mean. It's just that, I've always thought a Queen would be proper and snobby and think she's the best thing since cheese. But you're like…like one of us."

     "Thank you," I said gratefully. "It means a lot to me. Zidane has been teaching me to speak like a—forgive the term—commoner. I've been trying my hardest."

     Zeithi paused. "Zidane, huh?"

     "Yeah. The person I asked you about earlier. He's been missing for a while."

     "I see." There was that odd look on her face again. She seemed to be staring at the wall for a moment, before repeating. "I see… Well, what are we going to do tomorrow? You told me that you'd like to leave and find your friends."

     "Oh," I said. "How about the Black Mage Village?"

     Zeithi looked terrified.

     "What's wrong? Haven't you seen a Black Mage before?"

     "Y-yes," she seethed through her teeth, "and I don't want to see another one again!"

     "Why? Zeithi…are you okay?"

     She just shrugged. "I don't wanna talk about it. I-I'm just scared about them, that's all."

     I nodded. Not many people had good experiences with Black Mages. Zeithi looked utterly horrified at the idea of meeting up with them, so I just said, "Well, how about I go on my own? I don't want to trouble you any longer—I mean, I don't want to be a pest."

     "It's unsafe," Zeithi said quickly. "I want to help. How about…I'll take you there, but you have to go in by yourself."

     "If it's fine with you."

     It was settled. We shook on it.

-0-0-0-0-0-

     I could see Zeithi tense up as we moved through the forest. She glanced right and left quickly, as if she was afraid of something coming. "What?" I whispered harshly, also becoming edgy. "Is there any danger?"

     "Of course not!" she said. "Black Mages—I was looking for them."

     I rolled my eyes. Very, well, un-Queen-like."They're __harmless__, you know. They won't do anything to you, especially if they see me. They'll recognize me!"

     "I don't want to see one at all," she snapped.

     I was taken aback. Never had I seen Zeithi so nervous and uptight. She was practically fidgeting. I placed a steady hand on her arm. "It'll be alright. Don't worry. I won't let them near you, if that's what you want."

     She nodded and we continued on. I was starting to recognize trees and pathways, until finally I spotted a Black Mage. "Hey!" I shouted. The Mage turned around, hand up, ready to strike me with a spell. I waved. "It's me, No.33! Queen Garnet. Dagger."

     "You're here!" No.33 exclaimed. He noticed Zeithi. "W-who is that?"

     "This is—" I turned to face her and saw her trembling. "Zeithi? You don't have to come with us, you know. You told me yesterday you didn't want to come in."

     She wasn't listening to me. Her eyes were set squarely on the Black Mage. She was trembling. No.33 was planted on the spot. He was staring straight back at her. I looked at Zeithi again. There was something, in her eyes—intense and flaming. I realized it was hatred. Zeithi raised her right arm and pointed it at No.33. "You. You killed him. You __killed__ him!!! I hate you! You don't deserve to live!!!"

     "W-wha—"

     "Ahhh!" Zeithi screamed, leaping towards him. No.33 broke out of his trance-like state and raised his arms in defense.

     "Zeithi, no!"

     She froze in mid-air, hovering halfway over him. Her eyes went wide, but she couldn't move otherwise. "Stop," I breathed. No.33 nodded. I could see Zeithi relax slowly, in her eyes. I nodded to the Black Mage. "She's okay. Let her go."

     No.33 lowered his hand and released Zeithi. She dropped to the floor, on her knees, gasping for breath. I rushed to her side. "Zeithi, are you okay?"

     "I'm sorry," No.33 said gravely. "I didn't want—"

     "It's not your fault," I interrupted quickly. "It's nobody's fault." I looked at Zeithi. "I'm sure we can sort this all out, and-and—"

     "No!" Zeithi jumped up. "No, no, no, no, no! This is all wrong! It's messed up, it's—"

     She wrenched free from my grasp and bolted into the woods. "Zeithi!" I called after her, but she was gone. I couldn't even see her anymore. "I'm sorry about this," I apologized to No.33. "It's all a big misunderstanding. I promise!"

     "I think," No.33 said, "you should see Mikoto. She knows what to do."

-0-0-0-0-0-

     Mikoto, upon seeing me, didn't look as happy as I expected. For the most part, she looked relieved. "Dagger! Everyone has been worried about you."

     "I've heard." I asked, of course, the ever-present question. "You won't turn me in, will you?"

     "I have no choice but to—"

     "I'm not going to stay long," I told her. "If you threaten to turn me in, I'm gonna leave! You better not try and stop me." Mikoto was silent. I continued: "I just wanted to ask about Zidane. Has he been seen around here?"

     She looked around at everyone. Vivi squirmed through the crowd and ran up to both of us. "Dagger! You're okay! I was with No.288, and when I heard, I came as fast as I can. You're here about Zidane, huh?" He looked up at Mikoto, who's expression was hard as stone. "Oh. Well, I guess we should tell you, then."

     I was confused. "Tell me what?"

     Mikoto bowed her head. "We have received word from Tantalus. Shortly after they lost you, they discovered evidence of Zidane. He is dead."

     What? I stared at her, speechless. Out of the corner of my eye, Vivi folded his hands solemnly. The Black Mages and Genomes were quiet as well, as if we were having a memorial for him that very moment. My breath quickened. I clenched my fists. "No… No!!! He's not dead!!!"

     Mikoto heaved a painful sigh. "It's true."

     "Lying! You're lying!" I began to cry. "Liars, all of you! I can't believe it! I thought you were my friends! You're LYING!!!"

     "Dagger, please," Vivi said. "I'm really sad, too! I—"

     "No!" I shouted. I turned and pushed through the crowd. When I was finally out, I ran and ran and ran, leaping out of the magical barrier and tore through the leaves, choked sobs escaping from my throat. I ran blindly, with no idea where I was going. Finally, I tripped and landed in a ditch. All I could do was cry. 

-0-0-0-0-0-

     "Mikoto," Vivi said, "I don't think that was the right thing to do."

     "You heard Baku," Mikoto replied sternly. "We are not going to make changes in his plan without his consent. I am very sure he had a reason for his orders. Anyhow, she will recover." Vivi winced visibly and seemed sad. Mikoto touched his shoulder hesitantly—a strange gesture that she wasn't used to doing. "I did not want to do it either, Vivi. I did not want to see her pain, or feel it. And I did feel it. It was like a burning fire within her soul…consuming all of her hope and crushing all of her dreams."

     Vivi put a gloved hand over Mikoto's. "I hope Zidane gets his memory back soon."

     "Yes…me too."

AN: A little bit short, yes, I know. Some emotional stuff. Oh, and I know you're probably really confused about the whole Zeithi thing—You probably think she's the bad guy, but she has her reasons to dislike Black Mages. But that's to be explained later. That's really all I have to say… besides, of course, asking for reviews. Thank you in advance for the review you are about to submit! *uses her superpowers to will your mouse cursor towards the button…that tempting button…*


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